Strategy/Trophy Guide

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B U R N Z O M B I E B U R N ! |
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Strategy / Trophy Guide
Playstation 3
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Author: Vyrastas
Email: [email protected]
Version: 2.0
Guide content Copyright 2010 by Vyrastas. Additional content and revisions by
MrChapel.
Many, many thanks go to MrChapel for his numerous contributions to the guide.
Without his input the Developer medal strategies would be pitiful compared to
what they are now.
Additional thanks go to the following individuals for their tips, videos and
contributions to the following guide:
- Thorvan
- theBIGdjou
- Jyyste
- xGibax
All copyrights regarding Burn Zombie Burn! lie with doublesix video games
ltd. Developed by doublesix video games ltd and under exclusive license to
Kuju Entertainment Limited.
Please direct all questions, corrections or suggestions to the email listed
above. If you have additional strategies that you would like to contribute,
please don't hesitate to contact me.
This guide can only be hosted in part or in total at the following sites:
ps3trophies.org
ign.com
gamefaqs.com
supercheats.com
neoseeker.com
If you see it hosted somewhere else, please let me know.
Version Change Log:
1.0 = 4/3/2010 : Initial release
2.0 = 6/7/2010 : Added - Survival Mode section
- Survival Mode scores and rankings
- Difficulty Settings section
- Trophy List for "In Space" and "Zombie Sushi" DLC
- "Friend of d6" leaderboard in Trophy Guide
: Updated - Introduction, Game Basic, Gameplay Tips, Game
Assets, Overview, Individual Levels
- New videos/strategy for Zombie Bait, Too Many
Zombies, Lawn of the Dead, Zombie Zapper,
Drive-In Timed, Zombies Ate my Teddy, All
Fired Up, Army Base Free Play, Army Base
Defense, Graveyard Timed, Graveyard Survival
Stay tuned... "In Space" and "Zombie Sushi" content will be added soon.
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T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S |
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Please use Ctrl+F (Find) and the 3-letter abbreviations to the right to
quickly jump to the section in the guide.
I Introduction [INT]
II Game Basics [BAS]
III Game Assets Overview [GAO]
IV Gameplay Tips [TIP]
V Basic Tactics [TAC]
VI Mode Scores / Rankings [MOD]
VII Arcade Modes [ARC]
A. Free Play [A01]
B. Timed [A02]
C. Defense [A03]
D. Survival [A04]
VIII Difficulty Settings [DIF]
IX Individual Levels [ILV]
A. Woods [I01]
B. Graveyard [I02]
C. Suburbia [I03]
D. Drive-In [I04]
E. Army Base [I05]
F. Secret Lab [I06]
X Challenges [CHA]
A. My Exploding Zombie Head [C01]
B. Zombie Zapper [C02]
C. Zombie Bait [C03]
D. Zombies Ate My Teddy [C04]
E. Caution: Minefield [C05]
F. Zombie Express [C06]
G. Midnight Boomstick [C07]
H. Too Many Zombies, Not
Enough Time [C08]
I. All Fired Up [C09]
J. Lawn of the Dead [C10]
XI Trophies [TRO]
XII Conclusion [CON]
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I. I N T R O D U C T I O N [INT] |
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Welcome to Burn Zombie Burn!, one of the hardest PSN games to get 100%
trophies in. At its core this game is a simple arcade-style "shooter" (and I
use that term lightly here) that consists of nothing more than burning and
killing zombies. Sounds simple, but there is a lot of strategy involved. It
can be very fun, but also very frustrating and mentally demanding if you are
trying to go for more than just bronze medals.
Iíll say it now... it will take a long time to get 100% on this, if thatís
your goal. 100% is not for the faint of heart.
For many of the Free Play levels, the Developer scores are so high that you
may have to play the level for an hour straight in order to even come close to
them. Considering that there are 28 different medals in the game and that you
need a Developer medal for all of them for 100%, youíre easily looking at 60
hours at a minimum. The game is about 30% skill, 50% endurance and 20%
persistence. Once you learn the tactics for getting high scores (which are
not hard to learn), for many levels you just have to be able to do them over
and over for a long period of time for every type of scenario without dying.
There are two types of modes in this game:
- Arcade (6 different maps, kill zombies for a high score)
- Challenge (10 specific challenges, which are variations on the Arcade
modes, some are timed, some are not)
Arcade levels are further broken down into 4 different modes:
- Free Play (keep killing zombies until you run out of lives)
- Timed (same as Free Play but with a time limit)
- Defense (same as Free Play but you also have to keep Daisy, your
girlfriend, alive at the same time)
- Survival (basically Free Play starting at a higher and much harder wave)
Please note that as of the Survival patch (released 4/1/10 EU, 5/4/10 NA),
there are now two different difficulties, Normal and Extreme. These two
difficulties are available across all modes and levels, but all medals can be
earned on the Normal difficulty and the score requirements are the same across
both of them.
The purpose of this guide is to present a variety of strategies that can be
used to get 100% of the trophies in this game. I focus on "100% of the
trophies" because that is the definition of "mastering the game" to me in this
instance. If you get all of the Developer medals in the game, you are a BZB
GOD.
The guide focuses mostly on the Gold tier of medals, with additional Developer
strategies where necessary. Many times you can just use the same strategy for
Dev that you did for Gold.
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II. G A M E B A S I C S [BAS] |
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It is suggested that you play through the in-game tutorials first before
continuing with this guide. After doing so, there are a few basic things
about the game you should be aware of:
Auto-target Holding L1 allows you to auto-target, which means you will
always attack the nearest zombie.
Strafe Holding L2 allows you to strafe, which means you will always
attack/face the same direction no matter which direction you
move with the analog stick.
Auto-aim When L1 is down, you can use to right analog stick to aim.
Kicking You can use SQUARE to kick certain items like:
- TNT
- Propane Tanks
- Brains (from the Brain Gun)
- Teddy (Zombies Ate My Teddy challenge)
- Exploding Head (My Exploding Zombie Head challenge)
- Super Zombie remains
Kicking can be helpful if you want to get an explosive or a
brain inside a group of zombies, but be careful because you
will be vulnerable while kicking. Why anyone would want to
kick Super Zombie remains around is beyond me, but it can be
done.
Non-Burning Zombies drop the following items:
- Health for Bruce
- TNT (Explosives)
- Weapon Ammo
Burning Zombies drop the following items:
- TNT Range Upgrades (increase the explosive blast radius)
- TNT Type Upgrades (Dynamite, Mine, Remote)
- Speed Up
Also, depending on the mode you are playing, burning zombies drop these
additional items:
- In Timed Mode: +20 Seconds
- In Defense mode: Health for Daisy
- In the Zombies Ate My Teddy challenge: Health for Teddy
Video Recording Mode - This is an oft overlooked feature and I've talked to a
number of people who didn't even realize it existed (it was patched into the
game in July 2009). From the Main Menu, go to Options, then Video Recording
Mode. It will take you through the instructions and ask if you want it
enabled. Once enabled, all you need to do is press Select to start, pause or
resume recording. You can record up to 10 minutes in one go. You'll be given
an option to upload to YouTube after you're done recording. It's as simple as
that!
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III. G A M E A S S E T S O V E R V I E W [GAO] |
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* ZOMBIE TYPES *
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Here is the list of all the different types of the zombies in the game, what
they look like, and how to kill/use them.
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| Normal | Your basic zombie. They will chase you if you get into |
| | range, but otherwise will ignore you. Only good for burning |
| | and building your multiplier. |
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| Crazy | These zombies wear beanie hats. They will chase you no |
| | matter where you go. Good burning zombies. |
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| Dancer | These zombies look like ballerinas. They will always chase |
| | you, but dance away when you face them. Especially good |
| | burning zombies, because they will boost your multiplier |
| | fast as they move fast and touch a lot of other zombies. |
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| Exploder | These zombies are covered in explosives and have a flashing |
| | light on their head. If you get too close to them, burn |
| | them or shoot them they will explode like TNT, taking out |
| | everything in the radius (including you). Zombies killed by |
| | an exploder only count towards your score if you ignite the |
| | exploder yourself. They will only approach you if you get |
| | too close and alert them. |
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| Rusher | Probably the most hated zombie type in the game. They wear |
| | green football helmets and will run straight at you with |
| | their heads down. Be very wary when youíre headed towards |
| | them. When they see you, theyíll stop, hunch down and get |
| | ready to charge you. If youíre too close theyíll hit you, |
| | even if your torch is out. One way to avoid them and arrest |
| | their progress is to run around the environment and force |
| | them to bump into the environment pieces or other zombies. |
| | The other way is to let them run at you from behind, then |
| | when they are really close, quickly turn and loop around |
| | them (if you have room). A good weapon to use against |
| | Rushers is the Lawnmower Ė they will cringe and stop |
| | charging you when presented with the Lawnmower. Just make |
| | sure you keep an eye on those charging from the sides or |
| | behind. |
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| Riot | These zombies are protected by armor made of a trash can lid |
| | and a welders mask. They hold the lid in front of them for |
| | a shield and are only vulnerable to projectile weapons and |
| | the brain gun from behind. Only weapons like TNT, bats, |
| | chainsaw and lawnmower can be used against them head on. |
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| Noxious / | Green zombies that are immune to fire and the dance gun. |
| Infected | The glowing ones cause damage to the player if you walk too |
| | close to them and can infect other zombies by touching them. |
| | You can also get hurt by walking over their blood for about |
| | 10 seconds or so after killing them. Normal zombies will be |
| | infected by walking over their blood as well. You |
| | definitely want to get rid of them quickly, as they can |
| | spread fire immunity and mess up your multiplier. Best |
| | taken out with a projectile weapon from afar or TNT. A |
| | Chainsaw can also be effective if you auto-target and move |
| | around the edge of a pack of them. The most effective way |
| | to take them out is by getting the Rampage drop from the |
| | "red shirt" zombie for the invincibility, grabbing a melee |
| | weapon (Lawnmower / Chainsaw) and going to town on them as |
| | quickly as possible. |
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| Super | Very large zombies that pound the ground and shoot fire out |
| | of their ass. They are best killed by explosives, so you |
| | will need to plant TNT and lure them into the radius, or use |
| | an Exploder zombie. They can also be killed with melee |
| | weapons like the Chainsaw or Lawnmower - just stand there |
| | and melee them (preferably from behind) and they will die |
| | after about 5 seconds or so. You'll know you're hurting |
| | them because they'll be flashing red. This is useful if you |
| | don't have any TNT. They explode themselves about 5 seconds |
| | after dying, so donít go near a dying one or youíll get |
| | hurt. I generally like to take these out as quickly as |
| | possible; in later levels you can have multiple ones |
| | stomping about and it can make things much more difficult. |
| | In Defense you want to take out before they get to the |
| | car or youíll hurt Daisy trying to kill the Super Zombie. |
| | If you want, you can use their "pound" attack against your |
| | enemies Ė lead some zombies near the Super Zombie and many |
| | times he will pound the ground as you go by. Any zombies |
| | caught in that radius will die (make sure you are out of the |
| | radius or you will get hurt as well). Useful for Noxious |
| | zombies that you canít get rid of. (Thanks to Thorvan for |
| | the tip) |
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* MAIN WEAPON TYPES *
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Here is a list of all the weapons in the game and the best ways/scenarios to
use them for. The number in parenthesis is the number of points you get per
zombie for using the weapon. Some weapons can repeatedly auto-fire by holding
down X, though some shoot a bit slow using that method. Weapons are sorted by
point value.
Something to keep in mind about weapons is that specific ones are on the maps
for certain time periods for a reason. You aren't getting just the Shotgun
and Brain Gun because the developers wanted to screw you over Ė they are there
for a reason and knowing how to use each effectively is the key to long runs.
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| Pistol (10) | This is your default weapon. It is better to |
| | rapidly fire this weapon instead of using auto-fire, |
| | which is slow. Not very useful for high scoring |
| | purposes, and only semi-useful for Exploder zombies |
| | due to the limited range. |
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| Lawnmower (15) | Hold down X to keep the mower active constantly and |
| | use auto-target or strafe to keep it between you and |
| | the zombies. Useful against Riot and Rusher zombies |
| | in particular, also against hordes that are coming |
| | right at you, but it doesnít generate a lot of |
| | points. This weapon is best used in modes like |
| | Timed or Defense, where you need to kill zombies |
| | fast Ė use it on a group of burning zombies to get |
| | drops quick. You need to get close to zombies to |
| | use this so pay attention to your surroundings. Use |
| | it with auto-target for best results, and avoid |
| | killing Noxious zombies with it; you will get hurt |
| | getting that close to them. |
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| Gatling Gun (20) | This is a great gun because of its quick auto-fire |
| | capabilities and long range. Unfortunately thatís |
| | offset by its low point value. Most helpful when |
| | using auto-target and trying to edge around a crowd |
| | of zombies to get to open space. Also useful to |
| | ignite Exploders from afar. This weapon also has a |
| | very long animation delay when switching to and from |
| | it, so be careful (see Gameplay Tips for more info). |
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| Machine Gun (25) | Not a bad gun, but it doesnít fire as fast as the |
| | Gatling Gun, and the range is somewhat limited. |
| | Also, the ammo on this gun runs out fairly fast. |
| | Somewhat useful with auto-target like the Gatling |
| | and igniting Exploders, but I wouldnít use it for |
| | any length of time unless absolutely necessary. |
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| Shotgun (30) | A very good gun with a broad firing pattern. At 30 |
| | points itís at the bottom edge of the optimal point |
| | range, so itís worth using for extended periods, but |
| | itís very slow to reload and fire. It can take out |
| | 3-4 zombies per shot, even killing zombies 2-3 deep, |
| | but you will constantly have to strafe and back away |
| | from the oncoming horde because it doesnít fire fast |
| | enough. When using it on Exploders, you'll need to |
| | get in close, so remember to quickly back away after |
| | firing or you'll get caught in the blast radius. |
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| Chainsaw (35) | Melee weapon like the Lawnmower, but with a much |
| | higher point value. Hold down X to keep the |
| | Chainsaw active. Less protection than the mower, |
| | though, so you really need to pay attention to the |
| | zombies youíre killing because they can easily |
| | attack you while you are using this weapon. Strafe |
| | and move back and forth across a horde of zombies |
| | for maximum effect. Auto-target is also useful when |
| | moving around a large group of zombies. |
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| Baseball Bat (50) | An "elite" weapon that can give you a lot of points |
| | if used properly. The bat can be "charged" if you |
| | hold down X; a meter will fill up and when you let |
| | go of X, the swing will be powerful enough to |
| | automatically kill anything in the swing radius. |
| | Itís not my preferred method for the bat, though, |
| | because unless you use the auto-target mode most of |
| | the time you will get attacked by a zombie if you |
| | try to get close enough to use the charged swing. |
| | It takes some practice to use it that way |
| | effectively. I like the charged swing for when I |
| | catch some zombies behind a fence, then I can |
| | quickly crush them while they canít get me. |
| | |
| | The safest way to use this weapon is to use auto- |
| | target and repeatedly swing as fast as you can |
| | against a horde of zombies. Move back and forth |
| | across the front of the horde; the auto-target will |
| | always keep you facing the zombies and you will |
| | rarely get hurt if you do it right. It takes 4-5 |
| | hits to kill a zombie with the baseball bat, but the |
| | 50 points is more than worth it. |
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| Cricket Bat (75) | Pretty much the same thing as the Baseball Bat, but |
| | worth 75 points and kills zombies in 2-3 swings. |
| | Use it the same as a Baseball Bat. This weapon |
| | doesnít spawn often in many levels (or doesnít spawn |
| | until a high wave), so grab it whenever you can. |
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| TNT (100) | There are three versions of TNT that the player can |
| | use: dynamite, mine and remote. |
| | |
| | DYNAMITE Ė Looks like a normal stick of dynamite, |
| | explodes a few seconds after dropping. |
| | |
| | MINE Ė Looks like a plate with a bulb in the center, |
| | surrounded by wires. These ignite when |
| | something touches it (either you or a zombie).|
| | |
| | REMOTE Ė Looks like a vial with a cork. These |
| | ignite when you press O. |
| | |
| | The TNT range can be upgraded by collecting drops |
| | from burning zombies (the upgrades look like little |
| | gas containers). The best way to use them is to get |
| | a huge burning horde to follow you (not hard) and |
| | then drop the TNT. At 100 points per zombie, having |
| | a high multiplier then using this is the best way to |
| | get really high scores. You can even turn and shoot |
| | TNT before the timed/remote detonation if you donít |
| | want to wait. This is especially useful for the |
| | default dynamite, since it takes a while to explode |
| | and the zombies may be out of range by then. |
| | |
| | You can also chain TNT explosions together to double |
| | or triple your points. Please refer to the Basic |
| | Tactics section for detailed information on that. |
| | |
| | There are also other versions of TNT you can use |
| | that give you the same effect and point values: |
| | |
| | PROPANE TANK Ė These tanks are blue and will appear |
| | at certain points in some levels. |
| | Shooting them is just like igniting |
| | TNT. You have to ignite it yourself |
| | for the points to count, though. |
| | |
| | EXPLODER ZOMBIE Ė Shooting them is just like |
| | igniting TNT. You have to ignite |
| | it yourself for the points to |
| | count, though. Burning zombies |
| | running into one or you walking |
| | too close to one will ignite it, |
| | and you will lose all associated |
| | points in those instances. |
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| Brain Gun (150) | This weapon can be tough to use effectively, itís |
| | only really helpful to distract zombies for easier |
| | killing. The best way to use it is to get a high |
| | zombie multiplier going, then drop a few brains. |
| | Zombies will cluster around it. Then ignite some |
| | TNT near them or start shooting them from afar. Be |
| | careful, though Ė moving too close brain-eating |
| | zombies or burning them will distract them and |
| | theyíll leave the brain to go after you. |
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* AUXILIARY WEAPON TYPES *
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This is the "weapon" you use when you hold down R2.
==========================================================================
| Torch | Default weapon for burning zombies. Some zombie types |
| | will shy away from fire so generally you can keep this |
| | out and run through hordes of unlit zombies without fear |
| | of getting hurt. |
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| Flamethrower | Upgraded fire weapon with a broad range. Unfortunately |
| | zombies are not afraid of this gun, so if you try to go |
| | through a horde while using it you will be attacked very |
| | easily. |
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| Dance Gun | Looks like a megaphone / bullhorn. Instead of setting |
| | zombies on fire, it plays music that distracts them and |
| | makes them dance in place. Good for halting a zombie |
| | horde in its tracks if you need a breather, but doesnít |
| | add to the multiplier or give you any extra points. More |
| | of a novelty item, really, and only useful in some modes. |
| | I donít like using it, because then zombies can attack |
| | you easier, but it can be a lifesaver when dealing with |
| | Rushers. It will take a lot of game time to understand |
| | the best times when to use it, so experiment and figure |
| | out what the best time is for you. Note that the Dance |
| | Gun does not affect Noxious zombies. |
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* RAMPAGE *
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The "red shirt" zombie (also known as the "mystery" zombie), who teleports
into the Free Play levels on occasion and remains there for about 10 seconds,
will drop Rampage. It looks like a glowing beaker. Grab this and you will be
invincible for around 30 seconds and have unlimited ammo. This is
particularly useful when there are lots of Noxious or Rusher zombies on the
map Ė grab the Chainsaw or Lawnmower and go to town on any problematic zombies
to get them out of the way.
Pay attention to your life gauge while in Rampage mode, though. It will be
blue and slowly decrease. Once it is empty Rampage mode will end. Keep an
eye on it and get yourself to a safe place before it runs out.
__ NOTE __
Do not, and I repeat, do NOT kill the "red shirt" zombie while he is
teleporting out of the map. You will know he's teleporting out because there
will be a haze around him a second before he disappears. The game will freeze
and you will have to reset your console. This has happened to me every time
I've killed him while he was teleporting out. It's no fun having the game
freeze when you're 90 minutes into a Free Play run (which happened to me). I
am not sure this happens to everyone, but it has happened enough times to me
to be more than coincidence.
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IV. G A M E P L A Y T I P S [TIP] |
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Here are some general gameplay tips that you need to always practice,
regardless of level or mode. They can make a difference between being
successful or sucking ass. The more you play the more youíll learn to
recognize and understand the tips below, as well as know when to use them.
Obviously, the best way to get good at this game is to practice and to learn
from each mistake you make.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
===============================================================
First and foremost, I cannot stress this enough. You will never get 100% (or
even all silver medals) without a lot of practice, and I mean *a lot* of
practice. There is actually very little luck involved in this game. You
can't just be good in this game, you have to be better than good.
KEEP MOVING
===============================================================
You wonít be sitting still much in this game. You need to burn zombies for
high scores, and burning zombies will chase you relentlessly. Therefore you
must always be on the move and plan your tactics in advance. You canít just
sit there and shoot zombies; you will eventually be overwhelmed.
KNOW THE ENVIRONMENT
===============================================================
Get familiar with every obstacle in the selected environment. There is
nothing more annoying that running from a burning horde and getting "stuck" on
the edge of an obstacle and getting hurt. Be able to easily tell the
obstacles from the zombies. Use the obstacles to your advantage to funnel
zombies into your weapon or to stop Rushers from charging you. Also, donít
hang out behind level obstacles. The game is top-down 3rd person, but at an
angle, so if youíve above an item, Bruce will be obscured by it. If you hang
out at the top behind a building (like in Graveyard or Drive-In) itís harder
to tell where a zombie might be hiding. Itís safer to tackle large hordes of
zombies at the bottom of the screen.
ALWAYS LOOK AHEAD
===============================================================
When I play, Iím rarely looking right at Bruce. Iím usually looking at the
zombies in the area where he is headed. This is easier to do once you know
the environment. If you have your torch out, generally zombies wonít attack
you and youíll be safe. But occasionally some will see you coming and try to
attack ahead of time. You will know when they are attacking because theyíll
rear back with one arm. Watching the area ahead will let you avoid attacks
much easier. This is especially true if there are a couple of burning zombies
ahead Ė already burning ones will not be scared of your torch and they will
attack you if you head near them.
DON'T BACKTRACK
===============================================================
Turning around and trying to run through a mass of burning zombies will easily
get you hurt. Even unlit zombies Ė once you pass them by, they will be
alerted to your presence and be more apt to attack if you turn right around.
WHEN IN DOUBT, KEEP MOVING
===============================================================
You may be in a situation where there are tons of zombies chasing after you
and you have no explosives and a crappy weapon. Exploders might be walking
around and screwing up your multiplier. Unless this is a product of the mode
youíre in (i.e. some Challenges restrict weapon types), the best thing to do
in these situations is just to keep moving around the perimeter of the
environment, donít worry about attacking and let it all play out. Walk close
to the Exploders to set them off so the area is clear when you come back
around. More zombies and different weapons will eventually appear.
LEARN TO USE EVERY WEAPON EFFECTIVELY
===============================================================
Sometimes only specific weapons will be spawned for a long period of time, and
you need to know how to use each effectively or you will be playing for a long
time with little point benefit. This is crucial because in some modes, only
one or two weapons are allowed and if you donít know how to use them, youíre
screwed.
DON'T GRAB A WEAPON UNLESS YOU NEED IT
===============================================================
As mentioned in the last section, some weapons are spawned for specific
periods of time, and if you just grab it while going by without any intention
of using it (i.e. you grab something else soon after), you canít go back and
get it. It wonít reappear until a few waves have cycled Ė if it reappears at
all, since the weapon options change after so many waves. So unless you
intend to use the weapon right away, donít grab it. It could come in handy
later.
BE MINDFUL OF WEAPON / DAMAGE ANIMATION DELAYS
===============================================================
This is pretty important. Whenever Bruce gets hurt, he cringes and it takes
him a couple of seconds to recover and respond to weapon commands. If youíre
trying to attack while in a mob and you get hit, it will take a few seconds
before you can actually attack again and it will leave you vulnerable to more
attacks. Also, when you try to switch to the torch after using your primary
weapon, there is a small window of time when Bruce is vulnerable during the
switch. The primary weapon animation needs to finish (firing or swinging)
before the torch animation can begin. If youíre running through a horde of
zombies during the switch window you will be vulnerable. This is especially
noticeable when you use the Gatling Gun (I have cursed at my TV countless
times because of this). It's an aspect of the user interface that you donít
have much control over and it can be frustrating at times, since it will
appear as though the game is not responding to your input. Best thing to do
is recognize that it is what it is, you canít change it and just modify your
gameplay to take it into account.
PRACTICE QUICK REVERSAL / STRAFE MOVES
===============================================================
This is a technique that is very handy when dealing with Exploders or a really
fast-moving horde of zombies (like the Dancers). You need to be able to stop
your current movement, face the opposite direction, then hold down L2 and
continue in the same direction as before Ė only now youíll be facing backwards
and shooting. This is very handy with Exploders Ė lead your burning zombie
horde at the Exploder at an angle, then quickly switch and strafe at everyone
chasing you while running backwards. Youíll shoot the Exploder, get the
points and continue out of range of the blast radius. Practice this technique
a lot. If you want to extend your runs and maximize your points, youíll need
to get good at it.
USE REMOTE EXPLOSIVES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
===============================================================
This is a no-brainer, pun intended. Kill burning zombies to get explosive
upgrades (small gas tanks) and explosives (wooden crates). Try not to use the
explosives until you get two upgrades and have remotes on hand. Then plant
them, get a huge multiplier by burning zombies, then get them to gather in the
radius of the explosive in order to maximize points. A good way to get them
in the radius is to circle around the explosive to get the zombies to wander
around in the same area. If most of those zombies are burning, then
detonating the explosive will force more drops for explosives and speed power
ups to appear. It's a win-win situation and more worthwhile than the default
dynamite explosives. You can also chain TNT together for even more points.
See the "Basic Tactics" section for more details.
BEWARE THE EXPLOSIVE BLAST RADIUS
===============================================================
I canít tell you the number of times Iíve set an explosive, run out of range,
ignited it and then turn around immediately for the power up drops Ė only to
be injured (and sometimes killed) by the outer edge of the disappearing
explosion. An explosion lasts for a second after it explodes, so donít
immediately try to walk into the blast zone. So wait for the explosion
animation to vanish before entering the blast zone. This applies to any
explosive Ė Exploder zombie, propane tank or explosive drop. If using the
Shotgun to ignite a propane tank or Exploder, you will have to get close and
immediately backpedal after firing in order to avoid the blast radius. Also,
beware a dead Super zombie Ė a few seconds after you kill a Super zombie, it
will explode. Donít be caught near it when itís dying.
DON'T RUN BY EXPLODERS / PROPANE TANKS WITH YOUR TORCH EXTENDED
===============================================================
This is something thatís easy to forget about in the heat of an intense run.
If you have your torch out and you get too close to an Exploder or a Propane
Tank, it will explode and injure you. Depending on the map you may have to
put away the torch when you near a tank, then pull it out again after you pass
it by. For Exploders, as general rule of thumb, you donít want to ignite them
with fire of any sort. Only guns or explosives.
KILL NOXIOUS ZOMBIES AS SOON AS THEY APPEAR
===============================================================
Nothing will mess up your 50 minute Free Play run more than Noxious zombies
getting out of control. When you see these suckers start to appear, drop
everything youíre doing and kill them all as quickly as you can, specifically
the ones surrounded by a glow. If they start infecting too many zombies, itís
game over. I've gone into the 12 million point range with 9 lives before,
only to be completely shut down and be done within minutes by an uncontrolled
mass of these zombies. Grab the Rampage drop from the red shirt zombie if you
can Ė this makes you invincible and killing Noxious zombies easier. If they
get out of control and you're really far into a run, MrChapel notes that
sometimes it's better to "just wait out their waves while killing with no
regard for points. Also, if you think you are going to die, run into a pack of
the noxious zombies so that when you respawn you will take out a bunch."
Also, MrChapel notes that sometimes it's beneficial to just grab a Lawnmower
and kill them with no regard for Bruce - you will most likely pick up food
drops to replenish your health anyway.
BEWARE OF "BLACK" ZOMBIES
===============================================================
After a zombie has been burning for a while (usually around 30 seconds), they
will turn black and still be able to attack for about 5 seconds before they
crumble to ash. Keep a close eye out for these, because sometimes they are
very hard to see against the environment, especially in a horde of zombies.
They wonít be scared by fire and will attack just like any burning zombie,
except most times you wonít see it coming. Nothingís more annoying than
running through what looks like a clean area, only for a black zombie to get a
cheap shot in.
KILL NORMAL ZOMBIES IF YOU NEED HEALTH OR AMMO
===============================================================
Remember, only non-burning zombies drop food for Bruce, yummy things like
burgers, hot dogs and pound cakes. If you are getting low on health, stop
burning zombies, pick up a semi-automatic weapon like the Gatling Gun or
Machine Gun and start killing non-burning zombies until you get a food item.
Lawnmower with auto-target is also useful for this. Focus on getting ammo if
you are using a melee weapon you don't want to get rid of (say, if you have
the Lawnmower but it's not respawning). You cannot pick up an ammo drop if
you have your torch out (R2), so make sure you switch to your weapon when you
run over the drop. Focusing on non-burning zombies might also get you a TNT
or two, which is great when you have all the upgrades already. There will
always be more zombies, so don't worry about killing too many or messing up
your multiplier. Try killing zombies ahead of you so you can grab the drops
easier.
DON'T GRAB DROPS UNLESS YOU SAFELY CAN
===============================================================
Many times youíll be going to town on a burning horde and some enticing drop
will appear behind them. Depending on what weapon youíre using, you may be
able to move around them while auto-targeting and snatch the drop before it
disappears and not get hurt. About the only weapon I feel comfortable doing
this with is a bat Ė auto-target keeps you facing enemies and if youíre
constantly swinging, youíll be successful. But donít chance it if youíre not
entirely sure. If youíre far along in a level and desperately need TNT or
Health, you can chance it. But generally donít bother Ė there will be more
zombies and more drops. Itís not always worth the risk.
WATCH OUT FOR L3 WHEN STRAFING
===============================================================
When you press down the left analog stick (L3), icons of weapons available on
the map and their relative position to Bruce will be superimposed on the
screen. This can be particularly distracting if youíre fighting a large group
of burning zombies (like strafing across a large group with a Chainsaw) and
can obscure your view. Try not to press too hard on the left analog stick
while youíre strafing like that, otherwise you may not see an attack before
itís too late.
BURNING ZOMBIES DIE WHEN YOU DIE
===============================================================
Not that it's okay to die (see next section), but something to keep in mind on
a mode like Defend Daisy, is that when you die, all currently burning zombies
disintegrate and vanish. If there are a horde of burning zombies around the
car and you die elsewhere, they will all vanish, giving Daisy a reprieve.
This might be helpful if things are crazy and you accidentally falter and end
up dying, so just keep it in mind.
TRY NOT TO DIE... OKAY?
===============================================================
A good goal to aim for on long runs (in basic Free Play levels) is one death
per two million points. You get an extra life every million points, so if you
can stay at an average of at least two lives per one million, you will stay
ahead of the curve and last longer. Now... that doesnít mean itís okay to
die. Because itís not. If you die you lose all your explosive upgrades,
which can be a huge blow to your run, especially if youíve put in some 30-40
minutes already (ahem, Secret Lab).
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
===============================================================
Oh... did I mention you need to practice a lot?
=============================================================================
V. B A S I C T A C T I C S [TAC] |
=============================================================================
There are a couple of basic tactics and strategies that can be used on
virtually every map, arcade mode or challenge. Instead of repeating them in
each section, I gathered them here in this section. These are the base
tactics you need to learn in order to succeed at this game and are the core of
any strategy you might create for a level. Except maybe Zombie Zapper. :)
BOOM BOOM POW - On the uses of the multiplier and TNT
===============================================================
The most basic strategy of the game is to upgrade your TNT to the maximum and
use it to blow a mass of burning zombies if you have the multiplier at around
45x or more. Burning zombies killed will drop more TNT (wooden crates), so
most times you wonít be in danger of running out. This type of move will
generate 200K-400K points at a time, depending on the multiplier. Repeat this
as much as possible. To maximize the zombies in the blast radius, try to move
in a circle around the group to bunch them up.
You can also double or triple your TNT power by creating "chain reactions"
between numerous TNT, Exploders and propane tanks. This is most effective in
Free Play modes. MrChapel describes the best way to do this:
"If you have decent control of a 50+ horde of flaming zombies and have the
remote TNT and 3 range upgrades, you can set one TNT and then set a second
near on the edge of the blast radius of the first. Then, you want to get as
many of the zombies into the area inside the second blast radius only as
possible. The first explosion will set off the second and you will get 200
points instead of 100 for each zombie killed by the blast of the second TNT
(zombies killed by the first blast will only count for 100 like normal). You
can do this with as much TNT as you can find, but keep in mind that it will
take a bit to ignite the second/third/fourth/etc stick. I have found a chain
of two to be most useful, but I occasionally used a third if I had a whole
bunch of extra TNT and 70+ zombies.
Once you get the hang of this, you can make it work with propane canisters as
well. Remember, the propane always explodes with the same radius as you
dynamite, so a TNT range upgrade also upgrades propane. Also, since now your
explosion radius is much bigger you can safely take out exploders along with
your horde. If I am not mistaken, if the exploder goes before the second TNT,
the second TNT will be worth 300 per kill."
GET DOWN HERE! - On using the environment effectively
===============================================================
Because of where the camera is placed in this game (top-down, but at an angle
in front of the bottom of the map), you have more visibility when you are
towards the bottom of the map (i.e. something higher up on the map will be
behind you in perspective). For this reason it's best to do any kind of
funneling of zombies in the lower left of the map.
This especially works well with the Chainsaw. Move around the map in a
clockwise fashion, burning zombies as you go. Get the Chainsaw if it's
available, head to the lower left and use strafe on zombies as they get
funneled to that area. They will funnel differently on each map (in Woods,
for example, they will funnel from the north and east). Half of the maps
(Woods, Graveyard, Drive-In) regularly spawn a Chainsaw in the bottom left
corner, which makes this an ideal tactic, and you can regularly refresh your
ammo by grabbing another Chainsaw.
You can also use a Bat or the Lawnmower when funneling. Depending on the
environment, you may also trap some zombies behind environment props (like the
fences in Woods, Suburbia or Army Base, or the sandbags in Army Base). If
that's the case, you can easily kill the zombies from the other side of the
fence without fear of harm.
YO WHERE MY FOOD AT - On farming for health
===============================================================
When you get low on health, you should always try to farm for health. Avoid
dying, since you lose all your upgrades - a death can sometimes make the
difference between a Gold and a Dev medal.
You want to have a fairly open section for farming health drops. Obviously
you have to kill non-burning zombies for this, so stop burning zombies first.
One way is to use auto-target with a Bat and move around the pack of zombies
to wherever the drops might have fallen. Keep the environment in mind and
stay towards the bottom of a map and out of the way of obstructing props so
you can see what you're doing. The Gatling or Machine Gun are also useful for
this - just use auto-target and walk around the environment, killing whatever
you can.
An even better method is the Lawnmower. Grab one, use auto-target and just
walk amongst a group of non-burning zombies. Bruce will rotate to take out
all the zombies and you will easily get some food drops. The points are low,
but don't worry about points when you're farming for health.
Each map has multiple places for farming health if you're using a Bat and just
want to stick to one area. Usually you can just hang out in a corner (like
the funnel trick) and work on a mass of zombies there. The upper left corner
of Suburbia is a nice area, as is within the sandbags at the top of Army
Base. Secret Lab is probably the only map without a really good place to farm
health with a Bat. Most times I don't bother to farm on Secret Lab because
it's hard to do, and the drops will fall in masses of zombies and will not be
easily picked up.
=============================================================================
VI. M O D E S C O R E S / R A N K I N G S [MOD] |
=============================================================================
Here is a nice and handy list of the scores required for all Bronze, Silver,
Gold and Developer medals in the game. For Gold & Dev, I have also provided
rankings based on mine and others' experience consisting of multiple replays
upon replays.
Note that the rankings are different between Gold and Dev because it takes
into account your increasing skill level as you move between Gold and Dev.
Working on just Golds you will probably find something like Woods Free Play to
be fairly hard at the beginning, but easy once you start working on the Devs.
After getting all Golds I went back to levels I had struggled to initially get
Gold in and found them much, much easier (because of all the skills I had
built up).
If anything, they should help you plan which levels to tackle in which order.
I would suggest following the rankings listed here, as you will progress
through the game a little bit faster and feel like you are actually
accomplishing something (i.e. getting some easier Golds quickly as opposed to
spending a lot of time working on a hard Gold when your skills are not
seasoned enough).
Your skills will also vary depending on which modes you focus on first. If
you get good at Free Play and can reach Gold / Dev scores there, Survival will
be a piece of cake. If, however, you start out with Survival, you will have
some issues.
Rankings are noted at the end of each Gold and Developer score. The letters
correspond to:
H = Hard
M = Medium
E = Easy
==========================================================================
| Mode | Bronze| Silver| Gold| Developer|
==========================================================================
| Woods -Free Play | 250,000| 1,000,000| 5,000,000M| 16,200,522E|
| -Timed | 300,000| 1,000,000| 3,000,000H| 5,137,428H|
| -Defense | 225,000| 700,000| 1,400,000E| 3,963,696E|
| -Survival | 250,000| 1,000,000| 2,000,000M| 3,868,023E|
==========================================================================
| Graveyard -Free Play | 350,000| 1,250,000| 6,000,000M| 15,260,983E|
| -Timed | 400,000| 1,000,000| 5,000,000H| 12,493,735H|
| -Defense | 250,000| 800,000| 2,000,000E| 6,328,628E|
| -Survival | 350,000| 1,500,000| 3,000,000M| 11,257,706H|
==========================================================================
| Suburbia -Free Play | 450,000| 1,500,000| 5,000,000M| 8,167,308E|
| -Timed | 500,000| 750,000| 1,250,000M| 2,513,763M|
| -Defense | 275,000| 800,000| 1,600,000E| 3,513,496E|
| -Survival | 250,000| 500,000| 750,000M| 1,231,604M|
==========================================================================
| Drive-In -Free Play | 550,000| 1,750,000| 5,000,000M| 10,913,804E|
| -Timed | 600,000| 1,000,000| 1,500,000M| 2,996,308M|
| -Defense | 300,000| 800,000| 1,600,000E| 2,118,097E|
| -Survival | 250,000| 500,000| 750,000E| 1,094,930E|
==========================================================================
| Army Base -Free Play | 650,000| 2,000,000| 9,000,000H| 18,549,812E|
| -Timed | 700,000| 1,000,000| 4,000,000H| 6,185,006M|
| -Defense | 325,000| 1,000,000| 4,000,000H| 8,112,414M|
| -Survival | 250,000| 500,000| 1,000,000E| 2,438,655E|
==========================================================================
| Secret Lab -Free Play | 1,000,000| 2,500,000| 10,000,000H| 14,856,635H|
| -Timed | 1,000,000| 1,500,000| 2,000,000H| 3,838,590H|
| -Defense | 350,000| 800,000| 1,600,000M| 3,774,908M|
| -Survival | 350,000| 700,000| 1,200,000M| 1,828,568E|
==========================================================================
| Exploding Zombie Head | 1,000,000| 50,000,000| 100,000,000E| 229,112,239E|
| Zombie Zapper | 25,000| 45,000| 60,000E| 88,125H|
| Zombie Bait | 750,000| 1,000,000| 1,500,000E| 2,226,500H|
| Zombies Ate My Teddy | 200,000| 500,000| 1,000,000M| 4,162,258M|
| Caution: Minefield | 350,000| 700,000| 1,500,000E| 3,512,830M|
| Zombie Express | 100,000| 250,000| 500,000M| 2,012,999M|
| Midnight Boomstick | 350,000| 700,000| 1,500,000M| 2,968,565E|
| Too Many Zombies... | 250,000| 500,000| 1,000,000M| 2,839,563H|
| All Fired Up | 250,000| 1,000,000| 2,500,000H| 5,128,666H|
| Lawn of the Dead | 250,000| 500,000| 750,000M| 1,280,723M|
==========================================================================
=============================================================================
VII. A R C A D E M O D E S [ARC] |
=============================================================================
This section details each of the Arcade modes: Free Play, Timed and Defense.
It highlights tactics that apply to each specific mode.
Combine tips from this section with the "Basic Tactics" and "Individual Level"
sections to maximize your gameplay. Please see the "Mode Scores / Rankings"
section for the complete medal scores for each Arcade mode.
FREE PLAY [A01]
=============================================================
Getting a high score in Free Play essentially comes down to an endurance
challenge, since there is no time limit and the score requirements are quite
high. For Gold medal scores, you will generally need 40 minute runs at the
minimum. Dev scores require 60+ minutes.
-- Rushers
If Rushers swarm you, think about using the Brain Gun to distract them if itís
available in the level. The Lawnmower is also especially useful for them, as
they will cringe and stop running at you. Though it gives low point benefits,
picking it up and taking care of Rushers can save you a lot of heartburn,
especially if they aren't burning (health/TNT drops). Constantly keep moving
in a circle about the level to make them miss you or run into obstacles around
the environment. Also keep burning zombies at your back Ė Rushers will run
into them as well.
-- Riots
When Riots appear, youíll need TNT or a melee weapon such as the
Baseball/Cricket Bat, the Chainsaw or the Lawnmower. Get a big group of
burning zombies together and funnel them through some section of the
environment (between fences, trees, etc), the strafe with the melee weapon.
Donít be afraid to go into a corner, especially if you have a bat, since you
wonít run out of "ammo" for it. The Chainsaw is the optimal weapon for them,
as it tears through their shields quickly. If using the Lawnmower, opt for
auto-target and force your way through them, as you'll need to be close to
kill them with that weapon.
-- Exploders
Keep an eye out for Exploders. You donít want to have a melee weapon when
Exploders appear. Best thing to do is to grab a gun (or switch to your pistol
using R3), lead some zombies toward the Exploder, then quickly turn and shoot
it for a nice score. Donít forget where the Exploders are if you see one
appear near the edge of the screen. Always keep them in mind. If multiple
ones appear at the same time, you might just want to take them out quickly so
you donít have to worry about them. If youíre not dying and your TNT is
upgraded to the max, you wonít need Exploders. The more you play a level the
more you'll remember when and where they appear, and you will be able to use
them more effectively eventually.
-- Noxious / Infected
Noxious zombies need to be dealt with immediately once they appear on whatever
map youíre playing. Drop everything you are doing and take them out as fast
as possible. Itís completely worth using an extra TNT or two to quickly get
rid of them. Pick up a Gatling Gun for long range attacks if there are a lot
of zombies on the level, as the gun works quick. If you let Noxious zombies
get out of control, all your hard work will be wasted. Auto-target with a
Chainsaw around the edge of a group of Noxious zombies. If the red shirt
zombie teleports into the level, kill him and grab the Rampage, then melee all
the Noxious zombies quickly while you're invincible.
-- Extended Runs
Woods, Graveyard, Suburbia and Drive-In are all fairly simple levels to get
Gold/Dev in, compared to Army Base and Secret Lab. Exploders and Noxious
zombies appear earlier and earlier as you move to later levels (Secret Lab is
pretty much constant Exploders). When you get really far, say close to Wave
300, there will generally be a constant mix of Riot, Rusher, Noxious and
Exploder zombies, making it very tough to use TNT with any regularity or
efficiency, especially if you die and lose all your upgrades (at which point
normal TNT becomes almost useless). This varies from level to level (for
instance, Rushers seldom appear in Woods after Wave 500 or so, but it's
constant Noxious and Exploder zombies, as opposed to Secret Lab, which is
constant all of those zombies). Also, weapon spawns begin to get restricted
for long periods of time, so you may have to stick with one specific method
for 10-15 minutes at a time. Just remember that the devs put those specific
weapons there for a reason Ė they are all useful for whatever situation you
are in.
For Army Base, you need to use the combo button bonus regularly for high
scores. For Secret Lab, it is critical that you use the Exploders efficiently
and shoot them yourself, or you'll be playing that level all day to get
Gold/Dev.
TIMED [A02]
=============================================================
The Timed mode can be a bit tricky, particularly for Woods, Graveyard and Army
Base, which require Gold scores over 2 million. You start out with 5 minutes,
but about 1 minute of that is invariably wasted from the get-go, because
zombies are slow to emerge in the first few waves on some levels. Also
considering that you donít get any kind of drops until you get a couple weapon
combos, thatís another 30 seconds or so wasted. So realistically you only
have about 3 1/2 minutes to really work with.
-- Kill Burning Zombies
Burning zombies is the name of the here, just like most levels Ė killing lots
of burning zombies fast, and with TNT in particular. The thing you want to
focus on more than anything else is getting time bonus drops (adds 20 seconds
to the clock). Your time will run out quicker than you think and you need
around 10-15 minute runs for some of the higher Gold scores. So jack up that
combo multiplier and kill burning zombies.
-- Weapon Use
Use remote TNT primarily if you can. You need points and time drops fast.
Outside of TNT, try to use weapons that kill fast, like the Chainsaw,
Lawnmower, Shotgun or Cricket Bat. The Chainsaw is my favorite for this mode Ė
use the tried and true method of funneling zombies down to the bottom-left
and go to town. The Lawnmower is the best alternative to the Chainsaw,
especially if you have to deal with Rushers or Riots Ė even though the points
are bad, it kills extremely fast and you will get time drops quickly, which
are the most important thing in this mode. The Gatling or Machine Guns are
nice and can be fast, but with such low point values, I wouldnít recommend
using them for any length of time. Get time drops with them and switch to
something better when you have an opportunity. Donít even bother with the
Baseball Bat, itís too slow, even when using the charge attack. You can kill
zombies twice as fast with something else. The Brain Gun is not very useful
in this mode, so I wouldnít recommend spending much time with it unless you
really need to distract Rushers.
-- Get Those Time Drops
I shouldnít have to say it, but grab the time drops at all costs. You need
every one you can get your grubby paws on. Itís okay to wait for a little bit
in order to clear out other zombies before going for the drop if you need to Ė
the drops stay on the map for about 15 seconds. So kill and inch forward
while doing so, gaining ground on where the drop is, then grab it when youíve
got most of the area cleared. Switch to your torch, just remember it will
take a second or so to switch weapons and youíll be vulnerable during that
time frame. Or switch your weapon (like the Chainsaw or Lawnmower) to auto-
target and move around the edge of the zombie horde to where the drop is Ė
Bruce will stay aimed at the zombies and continue to attack while you can
safely grab the drop. Another tactic to ensure easy access to drops is to
move around the edges of the environment and shoot burning zombies ahead of
you or at a close angle so that youíre heading in the direction that the drop
will most likely appear.
-- Don't Die, Dammit
More so than other modes, in this one it is critical that you not die. It
takes some 10 seconds for the dying and respawn animations to complete, and 10
seconds is too much to waste in this mode. It also kills your combo
multiplier, TNT upgrades and all burning zombies, which wastes you even more
time spent building them back up.
-- Extended Runs
Itís not hard to get 2 million on any level with moderate time bonus drops and
only one or two deaths. Consistently getting over that is a bit tough,
though. You have to focus on burning zombies and maximize the drops from them
with weapon combos, TNT and a high multiplier, and you have to stay alive for
a long time (so you donít lose your bonuses). Realistically you need a time
drop at least an average of every 30 seconds to reach Gold and Developer
scores. It seems to me that you get more time drops (or more drops period)
when you melee burning zombies, especially when you get weapon combos - as
opposed to just using TNT all the time (no weapon combo for that). So keep
that in mind.
Here is a video from Vyrastas demonstrating how to keep the timer up on
Graveyard, which is by far the hardest map for Timed:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHXleILdGEY |
--------------------------------------------
Here is a video from Vyrastas showing Timed strategy for Drive-In:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18k5Fty2Sdc |
--------------------------------------------
DEFENSE [A03]
=============================================================
High scores in Defense are actually really easy to come by for all levels
except Army Base (more detail below) if you use the strategy described here.
The key to any strategy in this mode is to let burning zombies surround the
car Ė this does hurt Daisy, yes, but it also distracts the zombies, burning
zombies drop health for Daisy and increase your score multiplier. So itís
actually a good thing to let them surround the car. Also, it's very helpful
that Exploders do not appear in Defense mode, otherwise this mode would be
hell.
-- The Bat Technique
Youíll want to use a Bat. Some levels will have it available very early on,
for others it wonít appear for 10-20 waves (like the Army Base). Grab it when
you can. Burn zombies and lead them to the car. Then start swinging the bat
continuously, moving among the zombies surrounding the car. If you stay close
to the car, the zombies will not attack or harm you. You can use either auto-
target or strafe while swinging, though I prefer auto-target. Keep swinging
and killing burning zombies Ė they will injure Daisy, but if you keep killing
them, theyíll drop health for her and there wonít be any issues. Once you get
her health close to 100% and there arenít many zombies around the car, feel
free to leave and do a quick circuit of the level, burning more zombies. Then
return to the car and start swinging again.
Repeat this over and over again. On occasion Daisyís health might get
dangerously low Ė just keep working those burning zombies non-stop and health
drops will appear. If the Cricket Bat eventually appears (it will on Woods),
grab that as it gives more points and kills zombies quicker. Using this
technique should easily net you Dev medals on every map except Army Base with
a little practice.
Here is a video from Vyrastas illustrating the bat technique on the Woods
level:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-of54VXkHkY |
--------------------------------------------
-- Selective Use of TNT
You can also add some TNT to the mix. If Daisyís health is full and the car
is surround, drop a remote TNT next to the car, get out of the blast radius
and set it off. Daisy will get hurt Ė but killing so many zombies at once
should guarantee a health drop or two for her, plus the point bonus reduces
the amount of time you will have to spend constantly pressing X to swing the
bat (yawn). Using this strategy should even net you a couple of Developer
medals if you donít get bored after reaching Gold.
-- Super Zombies
If a Super Zombie appears, use dynamite to take it out immediately, before it
gets to the car. If you let it get to the car you can't kill it without
hurting Daisy; she can take the brunt of a TNT blast, but you will need quick
health drops after that or you're screwed.
-- Army Base
As far as Army Base is concerned, for some strange reason the Gold score for
Defense there is double the Gold scores on each of the other levels, and you
will get health drops for Daisy less frequently than the other levels. A bat
doesnít appear for about 20 waves, and the bat strategy doesn't really work
for this map anyway, so I suggest you use the Timed strategy from Army Base
Timed mode.
Let the zombies surround Daisy but use the Lawnmower and Chainsaw to kill
quickly and get those health drops. Around 2-3M, there will be a section
where the weapons dry up a little and you don't have a good melee weapon handy
(Lawnmower, Chainsaw). Use the Gatling Gun or Shotgun when possible. If you
have a Lawnmower or Chainsaw already in hand and the weapon spawns have
changed, try to regularly kill non-burning zombies for ammo drops to extend
their life.
Soon Noxious zombies will appear and wreak havoc. You must melee them with no
regard for your life or your run is finished. Don't worry, you will get more
frequent health drops, but you must balance your health against Daisy health
against the Noxious zombies. Get rid of them as soon as possible.
Always have a TNT in reserve in case a Super Zombie appears. Kill him
immediately with it. Or you can use a Lawnmower or Chainsaw to kill him (as
shown in the video below). Just don't let him get too close to the car or his
death explosion will hurt Daisy!
Once you get past those humps and reach Gold, you shouldn't have a problem
cruising to Dev, as the Lawnmower spawns regularly from there on out.
Here is a video from Vyrastas illustrating Defense on the Army Base level:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JggWdxR-QoU |
--------------------------------------------
SURVIVAL [A04]
=============================================================
Survival is basically the same thing as Free Play, just starting at a higher
wave level. I didn't have much trouble with it at all and after managing Dev
on all the other modes, Devs on Survival were a joke. I got 4 of the 6 on my
first try. I highly recommend you focus on the other three modes first before
tackling Survival. The good news with this mode is that no matter how high in
the wave count you go, the difficulty remains virtually the same. It's not
like Free Play where it progressively gets harder and harder. The waves mix
it up a little, but the difficulty doesn't get much worse. Once you figure
out a good pattern, you can repeat it for a long time and easily get Dev.
There is a timer for Survival, but the medals and leaderboard rankings are
based on score... so the timer really serves no purpose, other that for two
trophies in the upcoming In Space and Zombie Sushi DLCs. Why they didn't base
the medal requirements on how long you can "survive" is beyond me.
So. Use the same basic strategies that you did on Free Play for each
individual map. Ignore the timer and work on upgrading your TNT to Remote
TNT. Noxious and Infected zombies will appear frequently from the start, but
you should know how to deal with them at this point. Rushers constantly
appear as well, but if you've gotten most of the Golds and some Devs you will
know how to deal with them. Exploder appearances vary from map to map, so
you'll have to switch up weapons more often than you are used to.
-- Combo Buttons
This mode actually gives you a reason to use some of the more non-point combo
buttons, since they will help clear the map of Noxious/Rushers (Graveyard) or
give you a respite from the frenetic action (Woods). The Graveyard button is
especially critical, since the Gold and Dev medals for that level are quite
high. The Army Base button makes for a ridiculously easy Dev medal. The
Drive-In one isn't too helpful, since the dance routine doesn't affect
Noxious/Infected zombies.
-- Suburbia
This level can be a little tricky in Survival, mainly because of the frequent
appearance of Exploders. Just circle around the center of the map - don't
venture inside the fences on the edges. Burn zombies when you can and use the
Exploders to your advantage if they venture into the center area. Take this
one slow and steady. The Gold and Dev scores are not that high, but you will
be hard pressed to build up TNT upgrades.
-- Graveyard
This map is actually fairly tough on Survival, if you don't have a pattern
down. The Dev score is a whopping 11.2M... 4x the next highest (Woods) and 8x-
9x the other maps. I guess the developer who set the score had a good day or
something. You'll need to get to the 40+ minute mark for Dev on this map.
The basic strategy here is to just circle the map, going counterclockwise.
Burn as much as you can. Use auto-target and shoot zombies on the move. When
the chainsaw appears in the lower left, grab it, use auto-target and just hug
the fence there and usually you will not be hurt by any of the zombies - they
will just funnel into your weapon (this is also why you traverse the map
counterclockwise... to set up this tactic). This also helps to activate the
combo button, which you should use regularly to clean up those pesky Noxious
zombies.
Kill the away team zombie and grab Rampage when you can to clear out the map.
Whenever the lawnmower appears (in the upper left), grab that and do some
cleaning as well.
Here is a video from Vyrastas illustrating Survival on the Graveyard level:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSLfyA27c4Y |
--------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
VIII. D I F F I C U L T Y S E T T I N G S [DIF] |
=============================================================================
Difficulty settings were introduced with the Survival patch (released 4/1/10
EU, 5/4/10 NA). Whenever you play one of the Arcade modes, you have the
option to set the difficulty to Normal or Extreme. The difficulty levels do
not have any affect on the medal-related trophies.
-- Normal
This is the classic difficulty that you were used to playing if you played the
game a lot before the patch dropped. Not much to say here that hasn't already
been said in every other section of the guide.
-- Extreme
This difficulty is much harder - you automatically die from one touch of a
zombie. Yes, one touch. You also die immediately if you touch blood left on
the ground by dead Noxious/Infected zombies. There are two trophies
associated with this difficulty (for surviving with one life for 5 minutes
straight; see the Trophy Guide section for more info), but other than that,
there's no real need to play this unless you want to test your mettle and show
off on the leaderboard.
Tips for Extreme will be added with the next guide update (In Space DLC).
=============================================================================
IX. I N D I V I D U A L L E V E L S [ILV] |
=============================================================================
Each individual map is described in detail here. The notes and tips can be
used on any of the Arcade modes for that map, but please be aware that there
are variations between Free Play, Timed and Defense on any given map. Weapon
spawns are slightly different, but are the same for the most part and the
difference doesn't alter the strategies significantly. It's all about knowing
how to use each weapon and playing enough to recognize every situation the
game can throw at you. Once you get to that point in your gameplay, zombie
and weapon restrictions are not a big factor.
Combine tips from this section with the "Basic Tactics" and "Arcade Modes"
sections to maximize your gameplay. Please see the "Mode Scores / Rankings"
section for the complete medal scores for each map.
Each overview also calls out two things:
- Combo Button (enabled after 3 weapon combos)
- High Score Key (though many are the same between maps)
Some Combo Buttons are very useful points-wise, while others are not. High
Score Keys are closely related to the "Basic Tactics" section.
WOODS [I01]
=============================================================
Combo Button: Rain falls, slowing down all zombies. No point benefits.
High Score Key: Fully upgraded remote TNT and propane tanks.
This level is fairly straight-forward. It is fairly easy for Free Play and
Defense, but quite challenging for Timed (because the Gold score is so high).
Exploders will appear in the middle pretty early and you probably wonít have a
high combo multiplier so feel free to take them out so they donít bother you
unless you are good enough to use them properly. You only really need to take
advantage of them in the Timed mode.
The Shotgun and Chainsaw are my favorite weapons in this map. Funnel burning
zombies down to the bottom left of the screen and strafe with the Chainsaw
(which regularly spawns down there) to boost your points and get some TNT
drops. As Exploders and propane tanks appear (the tanks will regularly appear
in the corners inside the fenced area), drop your Chainsaw and pick up a
Machine Gun or Shotgun (or use your Pistol) and detonate them amidst a mass of
burning zombies. You will have to get close to the fence to detonate them
with the Shotgun, so make sure to immediately retreat upon firing or you'll
get hit by the blast radius. Propane tanks are nicer to use, as burning
zombies will not ignite them on their own. However, you will ignite them if
you get too close with your torch, so be careful when running around burning
zombies. Occasionally Exploders will appear on the sides, so beware.
Rushers will appear in the middle about 5 minutes into the level, use TNT on
them immediately, Brain Gun to distract them or the Dance Gun to freeze them.
They are fairly easy to dodge in this level just by running around the outside
of the fence. They do not appear very regularly on Woods, which is a good
thing.
The combo button can be somewhat handy if you're being chased by a ton of
zombies. However, it's in a really awkward spot and hard to get to unless
you're aiming for it from the far side of the map or the area has been
previously cleared.
Thereís really no special trick for this level, just keep going as long as you
can and use your TNT and propane tanks wisely. Exploders are not as frequent
for 20 minutes or so, so use TNT and propane until then. Eventually they will
keep appearing every few waves so switch to a gun and take them out as needed,
preferably with a high multiplier. The level doesnít start to produce crazy
waves of zombies until you hit the 40 minute mark or so, which is about the
length of time you need for a Gold score.
GRAVEYARD [I02]
=============================================================
Combo Button: Shaft of light moves across the map, disintegrating zombies. No
point benefits.
High Score Key: Persistence, fully-upgraded remote TNT and use of Exploders.
There are a lot of obstacles on this map, particularly ones like trees that
can obscure your view, so be careful when running through hordes of zombies Ė
you can easily get hung up on an obstacle or get lost in the mix and get
hurt. Your basic strategy here is to funnel zombies down to the lower left
and use a Chainsaw on them, when itís available.
The combo button is most useful on Survival mode; it's good when you have a
lot of zombies on the map and you want to easily get rid of some of them.
Using it regularly will help to manage the hordes of Rushers and Noxious
zombies in that mode. For other modes, I generally donít use it all unless
Noxious zombies are on the map and I can't control them.
The best areas to place TNT are to the middle left and right, just outside the
center trees. There is a little more open area in those places and itís easy
to group burning zombies there.
Be careful of the upper left and right areas of the map. Because of the large
fenced area in the upper middle (which extends down into the map quite a
ways), if you go into the upper corners you risk getting surrounded by burning
zombies. I usually avoid those areas unless I need to get the weapons that
spawn there (a Lawnmower frequently does).
If you need to take a break and get some health, use the bottom left area just
like normal, but without burning zombies. A Bat or Chainsaw is helpful for
this. Also try grabbing a Gatling Gun or Lawnmower and just go to town on non-
burning zombies with the auto-target feature. They will die quicker that way Ė
but choose which works best for you considering the types of zombies on the
map (i.e. Rushers vs. Noxious vs. Normal).
SUBURBIA [I03]
=============================================================
Combo Button: Alien ship appears and circles around the map, "taking"
zombies. No point benefits.
High Score Key: Persistence, fully-upgraded remote TNT and use of Exploders.
The nice thing about Suburbia are the fences on the left, top and right of the
map. Lots of zombies spawn in these areas and they are ideal for running
through with your torch extended. The zombies burn but many will be caught
behind the fence, making for some easy killing. Another good area to hit is
the upper left corner - a lot of zombies seem to spawn there in later waves,
and it can serve two purposes: 1) a nice place to quickly jack up your
multiplier in one pass and 2) a place to cool off and use a Bat to farm health.
Exploders will occasionally appear in the middle of the level to start, but
later on they will frequently appear on the top or left, behind the fences.
This makes it harder to run behind the fences and burn zombies, because you
will invariably run into an Exploder. If you see them appearing behind the
fences, it's easy to grab the Machine Gun or Gatling Gun (which spawn
frequently in this level) and just shot them from the other side of the fence
and be done with them.
Strategy-wise, there's not too much else you need to do differently on this
map to succeed. Rushers and Riots will appear in the top right corner
frequently the further along you go. Keep working the same tactics and use
the fences to your advantage when possible.
DRIVE-IN [I04]
=============================================================
Combo Button: All active zombies start to dance, same effect as the Dance
Gun. No point benefits.
High Score Key: Persistence, fully-upgraded remote TNT and use of Exploders.
The combo button on this level is very helpful when it comes to Rushers, who
appear frequently the further along you get. The numerous obstacles on the
level make it tough to navigate the center area and Rushers can really wreak
havoc if youíre not paying attention, though. The obstacles are what make
this map challenging Ė play close attention to where youíre going so you donít
get stuck between groups of zombies. It also makes grouping zombies together
for TNT harder as well.
Activate the combo button whenever you can. Itís like using the Dance Gun on
the entire level without having to waste time using it and dropping it. After
activating, take out whatever Rusher / Noxious zombies you can personally or
with a quick TNT drop (a lot of times theyíll be bunched up together).
A good area to work at is in the upper left, just above the building (donít
hang out too close to the building though, it will block your view of Bruce
and the zombies). Get one of the Bats and just hang out with auto-target and
continuous swinging. This is also a good area to take on Noxious zombies,
which will appear on the left/center portion of the map most often. Zombies
typically hang out in the upper left and right areas Ė you can quickly boost a
multiplier by popping into them briefly with your torch. Most times I donít
go near them while running around the level and a bunch of zombies build up
there and just mill around unless you get close.
Like the other modes, the best way to max out your points on the Drive-In map
is the tried-and-true method of fully upgraded remote TNT. With all the
obstacles in the environment, itís a bit easier to get them stuck in a
specific area. Switch to the Machine Gun or Shotgun to take out Exploders
when needed. They will appear regularly when you get near the Dev score.
ARMY BASE [I05]
=============================================================
Combo Button: Bombs dropped down the vertical center of the map. The blast
radius of these bombs are the same as whatever the radius of your current TNT
is. Major point benefits.
High Score Key: Utilize the Combo bonus often.
This was the hardest level for me in all three modes of Arcade. The gold
scores are double most of the other Arcade level scores and from Wave 30
onwards you will encounter frequent Exploder, Rusher and Noxious zombies.
Also, the obstacles in the map seem to be situated in such a manner that makes
it hard to avoid Rushers. Rushers will move at an angle to you and easily
rush between obstacles to hit you. The obstacles also make it hard funnel all
burning zombies into one section, because they will regularly be caught behind
pieces, like the curved fences in the middle or the areas behind the sandbags
(top, bottom left/right). I frequently bump into the map obstacles; they
aren't conducive to a simple path around the area.
If the frequent Rushers begin to cause problems, use the Lawnmower and melee
them (preferably unburning so you can get health drops). If that's not
available, don't try to fight, just start burning zombies and walk around the
environment, avoiding attacks. Eventually the Rushers will catch fire and
crumble to ash. You won't get any points for that, but it's an easy way to
eliminate Rushers. After a number of waves the Rushers will go away and
you'll have some respite with normal zombies for a bit. But say focused Ė the
Rushers will appear again and in greater numbers. The map also makes it a
little easier for Rushers to get to you, so keep an eye out for ones that rush
along the sandbags / fences as you go behind them, for they can still get to
you when you emerge.
To get Gold scores, you need to use the combo button bonus as much as
possible, especially with the range on your TNT upgraded. Use a weapon like
the Chainsaw or Lawnmower and funnel what zombies you can down to the bottom
of the screen. Killing a bunch of zombies quickly like this will activate the
combo button at the top of the screen in no time. Then burn some zombies to
jack up your point multiplier and activate the combo button. A good tip is to
not burn the zombies stuck behind the sandbags at the top of the map. If you
burn them and then later try to hit the combo button, you will likely get hurt
rushing into that group and the button is harder to see.
Once you hit the button, I would recommend staying close to the top of the map
and working your way down the center as the blasts subside. That way you can
grab any drops that may have appeared. Just remember to use this bonus very
soon after you get it Ė if you die, the button will deactivate. Another good
use of the combo button is for Noxious zombies - depending on where you are in
your run, if you know Noxious zombies are coming soon, donít use the button
right away. Wait for the Noxious ones to appear then use the button to take
out almost all of them (thanks to Thorvan for the tip).
Here is a video from Vyrastas illustrating basic strategies on the Army Base
level:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsdAKU1GIp0 |
--------------------------------------------
SECRET LAB [I06]
=============================================================
Combo Button: Rotating lasers move counter-clockwise in a circle around the
middle of the map. Minor point benefits.
High Score Key: Shoot the damn Exploders! Frequently!
I hate this level. It sucks. Free Play is really hard and stuff. Yeah.
This may very well be the map you spend most of your time on. The Free Play
Gold is a ridiculous 10 million points (4 times the Silver score). I
personally found Free Play on this map to be the hardest Gold in the game.
Most of the tips below apply to Free Play. Timed and Defense are much, much
easier and you wonít be on the map long enough for half of these tips to apply
to those modes.
Funneling zombies to a corner doesnít really work on this level, since itís
open except for the circular barrier in the middle. Instead, the Exploders
are the key to high scores in Secret Lab - you need to use them efficiently or
you will be in for a headache. Doublesix put some comments on a vid they did
for Secret Lab that mentions where the formations in the level (Exploder in
the middle of a ring of zombies) came from (vid at bottom of breakdown). It
was from Gradius and refers to "shooting the core." What this means is that
in many scenarios you need to shoot an Exploder soon after it and the ring of
zombies drop into the level.
In the early part of the level, you donít necessarily need to "shoot the
core." You can lure normal zombies away from the Exploders... burn them and
get a high multiplier, then bring them close to the Exploders, which you can
take out for some nice pointage. When the Exploders fall in a ring of Rushers
or Riots, however, take them out immediately to get rid of all those
troublesome zombies. I generally like to use the Shotgun... get in close and
shoot the Exploder, just make sure you immediately back out as you shoot
otherwise you'll get caught in the blast radius (since the Shotgun is a short
range weapon). The Shotgun is the most useful when the Exploder is inside
Riots - you need to step into the circle otherwise their shields block the
shot. It may take some practice, but you'll get the hang of it after a while.
Maximize your TNT as usual, along with the Exploders. Youíll find that itís
fairly easy and quick to get up to 5 million points. After that things will
start to slow down. Noxious zombies start will falling around 7 million
points or so, so try to burn other zombies as much as you can and concentrate
on taking out the Noxious ones quickly. You have to be proactive with them in
this level or itís game over. Don't worry about the combo multiplier at this
point, just kill them with any means possible.
If you get into trouble with the Noxious ones burn whatever you can and run
around the environment (on the edges) and avoid zombies for the most part,
killing some with a Chainsaw (auto-target around the edges of the horde) or a
Shotgun (quickly turn and shoot whenever you have the chance). There may be a
constant stream of Rushers as well Ė you can always grab the Lawnmower to fend
them off in a corner, but you risk getting boxed in. Try to just keep moving
and chipping away at the zombies. If the "red shirt" zombie teleports in,
find him quickly and get the Rampage drop Ė then grab the Lawnmower or
Chainsaw and clear the map as much as possible before your invincibility runs
out.
You may be stuck between 7 mil and 9 mil points for a long while because of
the Noxious zombies Ė but do not give up. You probably need practice dealing
with situations like this. Even if they get out of control sometimes you can
wait it out. If you do manage to survive this stage of Free Play, eventually
Noxious zombies stop appearing and it will return to normal zombies for a
while. Thatís when you have a chance to top 10 million.
As for the combo button, the point benefits arenít all that good, but it is
useful for taking out Super Zombies. Try to get them in the range of the
lasers before triggering the combo button. The lasers will kill them
immediately. Also good for taking out from pesky Exploders that you canít get
to. The only drawback of the combo button is that when you get to the period
of constant Noxious zombies, you will be hard-pressed to even get inside the
center area to trigger it. If thatís the case, donít bother unless you have
life to spare.
Since Timed and Defense have such low thresholds compared to Free Play, you
can use the same basic techniques from other levels on this one. Youíll just
need to adjust for Exploders in Timed mode. The Baseball/Cricket Bat trick
for Defense works just as well here.
Here is the video from Doublesix detailing the design of Secret Lab:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJIiF34G64A |
--------------------------------------------
Here is a video from xGibax detailing some very helpful tips to quickly
getting 1 million in Secret Lab Free Play:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDzz9g6-LVM |
--------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
X. C H A L L E N G E S [CHA] |
=============================================================================
Challenges are basically variations on the Arcade modes. They will restrict
weapon types, have time limits or change up the order of zombies that appear
in order to focus on certain aspects of game play you might not have in the
Arcade levels. This section describes each Challenge and how best to maximize
your points, with some video examples.
Combine tips from this section with the "Basic Tactics" and "Individual
Levels" sections to maximize your gameplay. Please see the "Mode Scores /
Rankings" section for the complete medal scores for each map.
MY EXPLODING ZOMBIE HEAD [C01]
=============================================================
Timed? = 10 minutes
This Challenge is set on the Secret Lab map. You have a zombie head that you
can shoot (or run into with a flame) to create a TNT explosion. The catch is
that thereís a multiplier associated with the head: it increases each time you
shoot the head. So, the name of the game in this mode is to jack up the
multiplier very high (at least 100x for Dev) and then lead masses of flaming
zombies into its range and shoot it. You will get millions of points easily
using this method.
Beware, though, that the multiplier for the head can be reset if something
other than you ignites it. Burning zombies wonít reset it, though. It also
wonít reset if Bruce dies, which is a good thing. A dead Super zombie can,
though (see below).
First thing you do is kick the head out of the center area of the lab and
towards a corner. The bottom left is a good area. Then move Bruce into the
corner and just continually shoot the head. Any zombies approaching will be
killed by the blast radius and you shouldnít get touched. Occasionally a
zombie might appear in a corner and harass you Ė use auto-target to quickly
get rid of it. If a Super zombie appears and heads toward you, kill it by
shooting the exploding head, then quickly run to the head and kick it away
from the Super zombie before the Super zombieís death explosion. If it gets
caught in the death explosion, the multiplier will reset. Once the Super
Zombie explodes, kick the head back to where it was and continue. Run around
the area once if you zombies begin to crowd you while thatís happening Ė it
will help clear them out and you can get back into position and continue
shooting the head and jacking up the multiplier.
Try to get the multiplier to around 100x. You might need to spend about 4
minutes doing this, but donít worry about the time, itís worth it. Then use
the basic technique of burning zombies and running around the level to direct
them toward the head. Grab the Gatling Gun when itís available and use it to
easily shoot the head after youíve passed it and led the zombies within
range. Just remember to stay outside of the blast radius or Bruce will be
hurt. The head multiplier, coupled with the burning zombie multiplier,
coupled with 100 points per blast kill... you get the idea. Mucho points.
If youíre going for a Dev medal, build the exploding head multiplier until you
have killed the second Super Zombie. Then do a circuit of the map, burning
zombies, and lure them back to the head which you can shoot for massive
points. Clear out the zombies this way and then just continue building the
head multiplier until you kill the next Super Zombie with it. Then do your
circuit of the map, rinse and repeat. Just be careful with the Super Zombie,
as the flames from its ass will reset the head multiplier.
Here is a video from Jyyste illustrating this technique:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szWYgei_xu8 |
--------------------------------------------
ZOMBIE ZAPPER [C02]
=============================================================
Timed? = 5 minutes
Easily the most basic mode in the game. Unfortunately the Dev medal is one of
the hardest in the game. It takes place on the map used for the Tutorials.
There are no drops, you cannot burn zombies (because it is always raining),
the only weapon you have is the Machine Gun and the points you get will be
very low. The only things that will give you points is the large
square "zapper" in the middle and shooting an Exploder (you get points for
zombies killed in the blast radius). If a zombie touches the zapper, it dies
and you get points.
The easiest strategy for this mode is to just keep moving around the zapper.
Because the mode consists mostly of Rushers, they will charge at you Ė and
into the zapper if you are constantly moving in a circle. Survive this for 5
minutes and you shouldnít have a problem getting the Gold medal.
If you're going for Dev, below are my condensed tips. Big props go to
MrChapel for sharing his knowledge and helping me out when I got frustrated
with this mode.
- Learn to efficiently lure Rushers to the zapper, you get 125 points per
zombie that way, and cut the corners of the zapper to make that easier (you
won't get hurt unless you are on the zapper more than a second).
- Shoot the Exploders when they are in a big pack of zombies, but try not to
shoot too many of the Rushers around them (no points). Use L1 (auto-aim) in
conjunction with the right analog stick to aim easily while moving around, and
use R1 to fire (instead of X).
- Don't allow Exploders to run into the zapper on their own, they will explode
and take out nearby zombies (no points).
- Try to take out the Super Zombies by shooting the Exploders when they are
nearby, then try to lure other zombies away from the area so they don't die
during the Super's death explosion.
- Avoid going near the Super Zombies as they will pound the ground and destroy
nearby zombies (no points).
Now, you have to do all these things at the same time and pay attention to
what's going on on the entire map at any given moment. Not taking out a Super
Zombie or Exploder at the right time could be the difference in reaching the
Dev plateau.
You would think your torch is useless in this mode, but itís not. You donít
want it out all time or when youíre coming close to an Exploder, but you can
whip it out briefly to distract or scare away Rushers that abruptly notice you
and are thinking of charging. Take care not to move directly at ones that
have hunched over.
Here is a video from Vyrastas illustrating this Dev technique:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcNlztl9ab4 |
--------------------------------------------
Here is a video from MrChapel also illustrating this Dev technique:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tataU3yCVyI |
--------------------------------------------
Below are some additional strategies and tips from Thorvan and MrChapel.
Thorvan (ps3trophies.org):
"...when I got the dev medal on this, and I might add the only way I was able
to consistently get up and over the 80k mark was to be fairly aggressive with
the TNT zombies. If you get lucky and take one out in a group you're
guaranteed points, otherwise you have to hope they charge at you and don't get
taken down by a super zombie first.
I also found I often got fairly large groups of them mulling around the top
left corner that wouldn't charge all the time. TNT zombies often spawned up
there which made taking them down pretty easy."
MrChapel (pstrophies.com):
"Zombie Zapper, in my opinion, is the worst challenge ever. You get the Dev
medal in this challenge by doing the exact opposite of everything you normally
do. Normally, you:
- will want to light zombies on fire to increase your multiplier
- use TNT for high scores
- see rushers as things that are trying to kill you
- see supers as things that cost you points
- want to keep moving no matter what
- want to chain exploders in large groups
- want to hide behind things so exploders can't get to you
Here, you want to do NONE of that.
The rules for this challenge are completely different. First and foremost, it
is raining and so you can't ignite zombies. Your torch has exactly one use:
when you see a zombie jump and get set to rush you, you can stop it with a
quick flick of your torch as long as you get it out before he starts rushing.
Next, the only drops you will get are food, and food will drop only from
rushers killed by exploders that you destroy. To make the exploders worse,
their explosions only give you point if you shoot them and kill them. Nothing
else will work... that includes the zapper and other exploders. As a result
of all this, you will want to move very aggressively against the exploders
whenever you see them with other zombies around. ESPECIALLY if they are near
a super.
Once you have cleared the screen of exploders, your only source of points will
be luring rushers onto the zap pad. To this end I have found that it is best
to move a bit and then stop repeatedly. Periodically firing a few shots seems
to attract attention to you. Once the rushers lower their heads to charge,
quickly move near the zapper. Bruce (I guess because of his boots?) can take
about 2 steps on the zapper without getting hurt. This allows you to cut the
corners where the zombies cannot and is a very useful technique. Also,
depending on how much health you have left, I have found it useful to attract
a bunch of zombies at the last few seconds and run directly through the
zapper. If you time it right, you run out of time and die at about the same
moment.
The last issue that I have with this challenge is that unlike every other part
of this game, luck factors in big time. If the almost random movements of the
zombies shuffle too many exploders together, you are screwed. If the supers
decide to pound attack and take out too many zombies, you are screwed. If too
many exploders wander on to the zapper, you are screwed. As a result,
repetition is key. Expect to get in the 80k range dozens of times before
breaking the 88,125 barrier."
ZOMBIE BAIT [C03]
=============================================================
Timed? = 5 minutes
This challenge is actually fairly easy to get Gold in. It takes place on the
Suburbia map, but the fenced sections to the west, north and east are
completely fenced in. Zombies appear with regularity inside these fenced-in
areas, but the only weapons you have are the Brain Gun, Flamethrower and basic
TNT (that drops every so often in front of each fence).
The basic strategy here is to light all the zombies behind the fences on fire,
then drop TNT as close to them as you can. You can also try kicking the TNT
over the fence, though that just wastes time (especially if youíre trying for
Dev). Continually circle the map, burning and dropping TNT near the zombies
that congregate behind each fence. Keep the multiplier around 50x or so if
you can. I find the Brain Gun fairly useless for this challenge, itís only
really good for keeping zombies not contained within the fences occupied.
Soon some Exploders and normal zombies will appear in the upper corners and
venture out into the main area of the map. If you donít want to be bothered
by the Exploders, then take them out from afar with the Flamethrower. Burn
the other zombies and just run away from them Ė eventually they will crumble
to ash. There is more than enough time to get Gold with this method.
MrChapel's Dev strategy for this challenge:
"I finished with about 22 seconds left. The strategy is actually surprisingly
simple on this one.
First of all, the brain gun is actually useless (unless you are grinding up
100 brains sucked trophy). Start burning from the lower left clockwise around
the level (on your first loop, if you get every zombie you will have 100x).
If you time it right, you will be able to collect the right TNT and the left
TNT. Then, you want to chain TNT against the left most fence. The trick
here, however, is that bouncing TNT cannot explode. So, you will want to set
the first one on the fence to get it to bounce, then move to the edge of the
explosion radius pause for a second and set your second one. Continue to
repeat this until you have about 4 or 5 TNT in your stockpile. If you are
doing everything right, you should usually have about 75x when you are setting
up your chain (make sure you burn the left again before you set the chain).
Once you have sufficient extra TNT, start chaining 3. Remember, however, that
you need to time it right because the blast takes time to reach the 3rd TNT.
If you lay it too soon, the fuse will ignite it before the second TNT does.
Generally, I found it really difficult to get a chain of 4, but if you are
running out of time it is a good idea to spam as much TNT as you can against
the fence.
The big things to remember are as follows:
- If you hit TNT with your flamethrower, it will explode faster, but you will
not get any points. Make sure you burn zombies before you set the TNT
- Kill off exploders with the flamethrower. If you are good with the
flamethrower they won't pose too much of a threat.
- You are ONLY killing the zombies in the left pen. The others are there
solely to provide you with additional multiplier.
- Bouncing TNT takes slightly longer to explode, cannot be set off by other
TNT, but can have its points nulled by the flamethrower."
Here is a video from Vyrastas illustrating this Dev technique:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2k-tBo2IOI |
--------------------------------------------
Here is a video from theBIGdjou illustrating an alternate Gold technique:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMusuP4AtYI |
--------------------------------------------
ZOMBIES ATE MY TEDDY [C04]
=============================================================
Timed? = no time
This challenge is very similar to the Defense mode, except that you can kick
the Teddy around the level if you wish. The Bat strategy for Defend Daisy
doesnít work as well here, but itís not really needed. The Gold score isnít
all that high. This challenge takes place on the Drive-In map, which is not
that hard of a map.
For this challenge, I like it best when the teddy is kicked up against the car
to the left (so it can't be completely surrounded). Then you can just use the
tried-and-true method of burning zombies and funneling to the lower left,
killing them with a Chainsaw / Lawnmower for easy Teddy health drops. Clear
out the ones near Teddy when you go by him. Don't worry about actually
defending Teddy... like Defend Daisy, you should be more concerned about
getting health drops than actually "defending" the teddy.
When you build up some remote TNT, chain the blasts across the map... I
regularly did 3 or 4 at a time for major points. Just keep an eye on Teddy's
health, don't screw around trying to chain TNT if he's getting low. This same
basic strategy can be done for the time period leading up to the recording you
see here.
Just beware, the zombies in this challenge seem a little more aggressive than
on other levels... many times I would randomly get hit while running through
with the torch extended. This is highly annoying and I had many choice words
for the TV while doing this run, but in the end I was victorious.
Since there is no time limit there is no rush on this mode. Just keep
repeating the technique above on burning zombies and you will eventually get
Gold. It will give you good practice at staying alive for a long time, which
is what you need for some of the harder Golds/Devs.
Here is a video from Vyrastas illustrating this technique:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqoCciSiNm8 |
--------------------------------------------
CAUTION: MINEFIELD [C05]
=============================================================
Timed? = 10 minutes
Another easy challenge. It takes place on the Graveyard map. Propane tanks
constantly spawn on the map and you need to take advantage of them in order to
maximize points for Gold. A Developer score is also easily doable if you
stick to this strategy and maximize points as much as possible. Note that in
this challenge burning zombies will not drop items when killed. Non-burning
zombies will still drop health, TNT and ammo, but at a seemingly less rate
than normal.
Start out this challenge by running around and maxing out the combo. Grab the
Machine Gun once you can; this is by far the best weapon to use when trying to
hit the propane tanks from a distance. Lead the zombies around in a broad
circle and towards a tank once you have the multiplier at 50x or more, if
possible. The higher, the better. Turn and shoot the tanks to destroy the
zombies for 100 points each. Keep repeating this, swinging around to grab a
new Machine Gun refill every couple laps.
On occasion some Exploder zombies will appear, but they are few and far
between. Don't worry about them. Also, you don't have to worry about the
burning zombies igniting the propane tanks when they run into them, which is a
plus. However, your burning torch will ignite them, so be careful when
running around burning zombies; a tank could appear right where you're
standing.
Here is a video from Vyrastas illustrating this technique:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PiBZi1L4io |
--------------------------------------------
ZOMBIE EXPRESS [C06]
=============================================================
Timed? = 10 minutes
This challenge is not too bad once you acclimate to the speed. It takes place
on the Secret Lab map. Lots of really fast zombies will drop into the level
and you will have to constantly be on the move. Exploders regularly drop in
towards the center of the level, usually just outside the walls of that center
section. However, once you start burning zombies, they chase you so fast that
they invariably run into the Exploders and ignite them before you have a
chance to turn and shoot them yourself. That kills your combo and costs you
big time points.
So the key here is to shoot the Exploders as often as you can. But how?
Well, first youíll need to have the turn-real-quick-and-strafe technique I
mentioned above down pat. You need to be able to do it easily and in any
direction at the drop of a hat. Your base weapon in this challenge is the
Machine Gun, which is good; it is useful for hitting the Exploders at a
distance. The Gatling Gun becomes available later in the level, but I donít
like using it because switching between it and your torch takes too long (and
leaves you vulnerable to attacks).
Next, try to lead the burning zombies around the edge of the map Ė donít run
in a tight circle around the center. You want to lead them away from the
Exploders as much as possible. Stay to the outer edge and keep moving. Use
auto-target and shoot constantly, turning/strafing in a specific direction
occasionally to shoot at an Exploder. Cut towards the center quickly if you
have an open shot at one. However donít worry if you canít get each Exploder,
you will probably miss 50% of them. There will be a ton more zombies coming
and you have plenty of time, donít worry. Grab the Flamethrower if you want
to ensure that you have a lot of zombies burning for the combo multiplier,
just remember that oncoming zombies are not afraid of the Flamethrower like
they are the torch (not sure I understand why they made it that way, but okay).
If you have trouble shooting Exploders next to the burning masses, I would
suggest just shooting any Exploder that you can, even if you wonít kill many
nearby zombies. Since all the zombies are moving so fast, chances are that
kill one Exploder will ignite another nearby one, starting a chain reaction in
which you get all the points. This is easily done as sometimes 4-5 Exploders
will spawn in the same area at the same time.
Bottom line is to keep moving around the boundaries (to minimize getting hurt)
and to keep shooting. You wonít run out of ammo so donít worry about this.
Keep auto-targeting as much as possible and focus on Exploders whenever you
get a chance. Memorize where the Exploders spawn and draw burning zombies
away from those areas so you donít accidentally set them off. If you can keep
it up for a few minutes, you shouldnít have trouble getting Gold.
If youíre going to Dev, when you get to around 5 minutes left Noxious, Rusher
and Riot zombies will start spawning with regularity. This makes it much
harder to get points, but the key to getting Dev is to stay alive the entire
10 minutes of the challenge. Get points when you can but try to stay alive Ė
unless you happen to optimize all your Exploders, you wonít hit a Dev score
until at least 8 minutes in.
Here is a video from theBIGdjou illustrating this technique:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6SOBiq5lZQ |
--------------------------------------------
MIDNIGHT BOOMSTICK [C07]
=============================================================
Timed? = No time limit
This challenge is a little harder than you would think. It takes place on the
Woods map and you are limited to the Shotgun and Flame Thrower primarily (it's
the only weapon that is almost always available), with the occasional Machine
Gun, Chainsaw or Brain Gun spawning. The kicker is that it is completely
night in the level Ė you can only see in a small area about your character;
the rest of the map is pitch black. This can make it tough because you wonít
be able to look far ahead of Bruce. There could be an Exploder or Super
zombie lying in wait, or a mass of zombies, and by the time you realize it,
itís too late and youíll be injured. On the plus side, there's no time limit,
so you have all the time in the world.
A weapon won't spawn for several waves, so at the beginning just run around
and torch zombies and the fences. Burning fences will help a little with
visibility. Also turn up the brightness on your TV if you're really having a
problem seeing (like if you're playing in the daytime and it's very bright in
your home). On this challenge be wary of "black" zombies (zombies that have
burned out and are charred) Ė they can be very easy to miss. Also be wary of
the edges of the environment (trees and such). It's easy to miss them as well
and you might get stuck, surrounded by flaming zombies.
Another tip that helps with visibility is turning on the "Night Vision" mode
from the Rewards menu. You unlock rewards by getting Silver and Gold medals
(you will unlock all rewards once you get all Golds). I don't know how many
you have to get to unlock Night Vision, but it makes the visible field much
larger, which helps a great deal. (Thanks to MrChapel for the Night Vision
tip)
The best way for high scores in this level is to avail yourself of the
Chainsaw when it appears. Burn zombies and funnel them to the bottom left of
the map, then go to town with the Chainsaw. You should get some TNT drops.
Now you just need to max out your TNT explosions. I like to drop the remote
TNT just inside the fence at the bottom left, run around the map burning
zombies, then funnel everyone down to the bottom left and ignite the TNT. You
can easily get 300K-400K a pop doing this.
Around wave 40 a Super Zombie will appear. He will stay outside the fence and
roam around it; just pay attention to where he is each time you go around the
map and avoid him where necessary. If you can catch him amidst a bunch of
burning zombies, kill him with TNT. At wave 50 or so the Rushers will
appear. Use the Brain Gun if you like to distract them. Following the
strategies above, by the time you get to the Rushers you should be fairly
close to 1.5 million for the Gold. Eventually (as with all levels), Noxious
zombies will appear Ė kill them as quick as you can, or your attempt at the
Dev medal will end quickly.
Here is a video from Vyrastas illustrating this technique:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEKKcfSVz0A |
--------------------------------------------
Here is a video from MrChapel demonstrating the difference between normal
vision and Night Vision on this challenge:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4LrmDQvlXU |
--------------------------------------------
TOO MANY ZOMBIES, NOT ENOUGH TIME [C08]
=============================================================
Timed? = 10 minutes
This challenge can be a little tricky enemy-wise, as opposed to weapon-wise.
It takes place on the Graveyard map and the first minute or so is wasted
because there wonít be many zombies on the map and youíre stuck with the
Baseball Bat. Guns start appearing around wave 10 and eventually (wave 25 or
so) a large variety of weapons will appear in the center.
It's important to build up your TNT as fast as possible, then stick to the
left side of the map and use the TNT chain reactions with 2 upgraded TNT to
maximize your points.
At the beginning, I grab the bat and then merely wait until Wave 6 or so for a
bunch of zombies to be on the map. Then I burn in one circuit and use the
charged attack to build up some points. Next, take out the Exploders at Wave
10 with the Shotgun. Kill some other burning zombies and try to get upgraded
TNT as fast as possible. Just circle the map for a while and avoid Rushers
until Wave 21, when all the weapons spawn.
From there, you can either use the Lawnmower or Chainsaw to kill burning
zombies for drops. Exploders start to appear exclusively in the lower right,
and Noxious zombies in the upper right, so stick to the left side. Burn
zombies there and use TNT chains to get some points and more drops. After
doing that, ignite the Exploders on the right just to get them out of the way.
Also grab the Lawnmower and clean out Noxious zombies and non-burning ones for
health. Rinse and repeat.
Here is a video from Vyrastas illustrating this Dev technique:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjh52T6Z11E |
--------------------------------------------
MrChapel's Dev strategy for this challenge:
"The basic strategy is to accumulate as much TNT as you can in the first 20
waves. Use exploders as much as you can. The fun starts at 21, but doesn't
get really intense until ~35. Continuously circle around lighting the zombies
in the top and bottom left on fire (should be enough to keep you at 75 or
so). Then kill the noxious zombie that spawned in the top right (sometimes up
to 4, I noticed) and shoot the exploder pack that spawns in the lower right
and try to take out as many of the other zombies down there as possible with
them. Continue to circle around and when you have TNT use it after lighting
both sets of crazies on the left. Not taking damage is priority 1 as dying
will decimate your ability to use TNT effectively.
The gatling gun or the machine gun are your best friends for taking out the
noxious and the exploders. If you die and need to re-up your TNT, the
chainsaw and the lawnmower (or the cricket bat if you feel cocky) are the way
to do.
For reference, on my dev run I died once at about wave 35 and a second time
with less than a minute left. I had about 1.4 million with 4:30 left on the
clock and finished with a score of a shade over 3 million."
ALL FIRED UP [C09]
=============================================================
Timed? = No time limit
I personally think this challenge is by far one of the hardest. You are
limited to only a Baseball Bat and TNT drops, and this takes place on the Army
Base map, which is not an easy map to get high scores in Ė especially now that
you won't have the combo button bonus. So don't be surprised if your Gold run
for 2.5 million takes 30-40 minutes. See the level overview for the Army Base
for more info on map-specific tactics, which apply to this challenge.
For this one, slow and steady wins the race. Be patient and grind out the
points. The Baseball Bat is the slowest weapon for killing zombies, so you
will get a lot of practice with it and points will be slower to come by. Do
similar tactics to Army Base Free Play Ė funnel burning zombies down to one
section of the map, then wail on them for a while with the Bat.
Grab any TNT drops immediately and chain remote TNT when you have enough on
hand. Don't waste it on a low multiplier, though Ė it's crucial to get as
many points from the TNT as possible so that you're not playing the level for
hours.
Use the area at the top for health drops if you get low on health. Beware the
Exploders that frequently appear on the bottom and right of the map. You
cannot kill Exploders with the Bat and avoid the blast radius, so don't try
unless you have a full health meter (you can farm health back afterwards). If
you donít have enough health to withstand the blast just let burning zombies
take out the Exploders, there's really not much else you can do unless you can
get them with a remote TNT. Also, Noxious zombies will make regular
appearances Ė use the same funneling / Bat techniques on them and you'll keep
them under control for the most part.
MrChapel's Dev strategy for this challenge:
"Use the bat, obviously, and get really good at the hit and run charge up
swing. The sand bags in the lower left are a great place to get the zombies
to line up for you so you can take them out pretty safely. My general
strategy at the beginning was to light a bunch up and collect the TNT upgrades
ASAP. (Remember, you can generally run through a pack of zombies if you are
swinging the bat like a mad man). Once TNT was at full I would light up as
many zombies as I could (~75x I noticed), take out the exploders so they don't
interfere, and then place my first TNT in the top sand bag area and my second
in the middle bunker. If you are really at a glut of TNT (I had 5) place a
3rd pretty much anywhere in the 2nd's blast radius. Once the smoke clears,
pick up TNT upgrades to restore your supply and check your health. If you are
at yellow or lower, kill regular zombies for food and don't stop until you are
back in the green, then go back to the TNT strategy. Wash, rinse and repeat.
The really important parts are to watch out for rushers (as they were the ones
that killed me more often than not) and to kill noxious zombies as fast as
possible. For a little extra bonus, you could try to take out the Super
Zombies when you have a multiplier, but for the most part you just want to
prevent them from lighting to many zombies on fire (those zombies don't count
toward your multiplier) or from killing too many with their pound attack."
LAWN OF THE DEAD [C10]
=============================================================
Timed? = 10 minutes
This challenge is a bit tricky, and you may have to replay it a number of
times before everything plays out the way you want it to (damn Exploders). If
you have a good feel for the Baseball Bat, you wonít have much trouble with
this challenge. The only weapons you can use here are the Baseball Bat or the
Lawnmower. I prefer the bat since it gives you more points. It takes place
on the Suburbia map and features your normal cascade of zombies, except there
will be frequent Exploders appear mostly in the middle of the map. Sometimes
they will appear on the left or top behind the fences, but mostly it will be
in the middle.
For the first few minutes, burn zombies and use the charged bat to build up
some points and hopefully get a couple of TNT upgrades. The key to getting
Dev here is to get your TNT upgraded as soon as possible, then get through the
entire 10 minutes without dying. With upgraded TNT you can easily get above
the Dev score.
Exploders will mostly appear in the bottom center of the map. If they do, just
run by them to trigger them. You don't have a long range weapon in this
challenge, so it's best just to take the time to get rid of them that way.
Occasionally they will spawn on the left side, so be careful.
Once you have TNT upgraded to remote TNT, switch to the Lawnmower and just
kill non-burning zombies for 1) health and 2) TNT. When you have 2 remote
TNTs and the Exploders are out of the way, burn zombies at the top and top-
left corner - there will be a ton milling about there. Then chain the 2 TNT,
lure the zombies down and ignite them for around 300K a pop.
Take out the Noxious zombies on the left with the Lawnmower every once in a
while - don't let them get too out of control. Also, remember to farm health
on the right side when you need it. If you die you are almost certainly
screwed.
Here is a video from Vyrastas illustrating this Dev technique:
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcpJ_lhrha0 |
--------------------------------------------
MrChapel's Dev strategy for this challenge:
"I used the bat almost exclusively through the whole challenge. At the
beginning I was mostly just doing what you were describing (using the bat to
kill burning zombies and get upgraded TNT). A few minutes in, however, the
exploders stop spawning in the center and start spawning on the left. Then I
am mostly just on the top and right sides killing the same way. I generally
take out exploders by running up to them and then running away, but be careful
as if there is more than one they can chain each other and you can get caught
in several explosions at once.
The noxious zombies spawn exclusively on the left side. Generally I would run
by and try to get as many of those zombies burning as possible for the sole
purpose of serving as multipliers for the same bat strategy on the top and
right. Eventually, however the infected will get out of control. At that
point I would burn as many zombies as I could on the right, grab the lawn
mower and go to town on the infected. This seems stupid as the noxious
zombies will hurt you when you are close to them, and the infected deal more
damage to you than flaming zombies, but I wound up killing a whole bunch
pretty quickly and getting health drops when I did it. However, you should
really only bother with it when the number of infected starts interfering with
the top section. I think I only cleared them on two or three times on my dev
run."
=============================================================================
XI. T R O P H I E S [TRO] |
=============================================================================
There are 15 PS3 trophies in this game. Half of them are very easy and you
will unlock many of them without even trying. Some are a bit harder, namely
getting all Silver, Gold and Developer medals.
Please refer to the previous sections on Basic Tactics, Arcade Modes,
Individual Levels and Challenges for specific information on tactics and
strategies you can use to unlock these trophies.
Here is the suggested order you should unlock the trophies in:
STEP 1: Complete the Tutorials
---------------------------------------------------------------
The first thing you should do is go through all the Tutorials. They will teach
you the basics of the game and how to play it. There are 8 tutorials in
total. Once they are all completed, you will receive the Graduation trophy.
STEP 2: Get Bronze medals for every level
---------------------------------------------------------------
Get a Bronze medal in each game mode (Free Play, Timed, Defense) for all 6
Arcade levels and all 10 Challenge levels, for a total of 28 Bronze medals.
This will take you about 10 hours if you are halfway decent at the game.
Doing this will net you the following medal-related trophies:
- Tourist
- Friend of Bruce
- d6 Commends You
While you're working on bronzes, you will most likely unlock all the following
kill-type trophies along the way:
- Paint the Town
- Red Shirt
- Hot to Trot
- Murder on the Dance Floor
- Texas Style
- Dynami-Te-He
- Brain Surgery
If you don't have them all unlocked at this point, either intentionally work
on them separately now, or just start on the Silver medals Ė you'll eventually
get them, they are not hard at all.
STEP 3: Get Silver medals for every level / Get 100,000 Kills
---------------------------------------------------------------
After getting all the Bronze medals you should have around 30K kills. It will
take longer than you think to get the "Extinction" trophy (100K kills), so
just start working on the Silver medals.
You need to get a Silver medal in every Arcade and Challenge in order to get
the "d6 Respects You" trophy. You might already have a few from when you
worked on the Bronzes. Donít be surprised if you need 20-30 minute runs on
each Free Play level to reach Silver. Youíll really need to take advantage of
Time Bonuses and Daisy Health in the Timed and Defense levels, respectively.
Plan on around 10-15 hours for all Silvers.
If youíre halfway decent at the game, youíll have around 90K kills by the time
you finish the Silvers. Keep working for the "Extinction" trophy if you want,
or continue on to Gold and Developer medals if you're feeling ambitious.
Step 4: Get Gold / Developer medals for every level
---------------------------------------------------------------
I've grouped Gold and Developer medals together because Gold itself is a
plateau that very few people have reached. This is where the game starts to
really get difficult. You may need 50 minute runs on Free Play levels at the
minimum. Other modes like Defense and Challenges are a little bit easier and
less time consuming, though. Plan on around an additional 15 hours minimum
for all Gold.
Getting all Gold nets you the "d6 Admires You" trophy. Congratulations if you
can actually do it, itís not easy. On average you'll probably have somewhere
between 200K and 300K kills after all Golds are obtained.
Developer medals are another story entirely. A number of the Developer scores
are two to three times higher than Gold scores. Some are a bit more
forgiving, but on the whole youíll need to put in twice as much as effort for
the Developer scores than you did the Gold ones. Getting all Developer scores
nets you the "Friend of d6" trophy. If can get this you are a BZB GOD. It
will probably take you another 20-30 hours to do so.
A recommendation on the longer Dev runs: take a break and stretch out your
hands every 20 minutes or so. Because of the way you use the controls
(holding down triggers for a long period of time) and the nature of Dev runs,
you may start to cramp, or your index/middle fingers will ache.
TROPHY GUIDE ....................................................
Trophies are listed in the order in which you will most likely acquire them,
if youíre following the road map.
CORE Trophies
================================
Trophies that come with the core game. Some of general gameplay trophies can
be done in the DLC levels, if desired.
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| Graduation [Bronze] Complete Zombie Academy |
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This is the first thing you should do upon starting the game, as it will teach
you the basics of the game and how to play it. You will get this trophy once
you complete all 8 tutorials:
1. Basics
2. Fire, Fire Burning Bright
3. Combos and Rewards
4. Blowing Things Up
5. Timed Mode
6. Pushing Up Daisy
7. Home Run
8. Weapon Drop
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| Paint the Town [Bronze] Fill the screen with the maximum amount |
| of blood on any level |
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Unless you really suck at the game, you will get this trophy within a few
minutes of the first Arcade level, Woods. Killing zombies sprays blood all
over the ground. Kill enough in the same general area and the trophy will pop.
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| Hot to Trot [Bronze] Last 30 seconds with 50+ zombies on fire |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
This is another easy one that youíll probably get within minutes of starting
the first Arcade level, Woods. You should be setting zombies on fire for the
combo bonus (the combo multiplier corresponds to the number of zombies on
fire), so it shouldnít be hard to get a 50x combo multiplier (on the top left
of the screen). Once you have that, just run around the map for 30 seconds
while the zombies chase you. The combo multiplier has to stay above 50x for
the entire 30 seconds for it to count. Zombies eventually burn out and
crumble to ash after 30 seconds or so, so burn much more than 50 to keep the
multiplier above 50 for the entire time. Youíll probably get this one without
even trying.
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| Red Shirt [Bronze] Kill the away team Zombie |
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Yet another easy one youíll get within minutes of starting the first Arcade
level, Woods. The "away team Zombie" looks like a Starfleet officer, with
pointy ears, a red uniform and dark hair. The trophy is a reference to the
old Star Trek episodes, where the unknown member of the away team who wore the
odd red uniform was always killed first.
You will hear a loud chime when the away team zombie teleports into and out of
the level. Search for him; he will be standing still, looking about, with a
blaster/phaser in his hand. He will be the only zombie that doesnít move, so
it shouldnít be hard to find him. Kill him and youíll get the trophy. If you
wait too long, heíll teleport away (youíll hear another chime). He is most
easily found on the Woods and Graveyard Arcade levels, but will appear on any
Arcade map. You may kill him by accident without realizing it (especially if
there are a lot of zombies around), which is a good thing.
Be wary of killing the red shirt zombie while heís in the act of teleporting
out of the level. Iíve had the game freeze on me twice when I did this,
requiring a complete restart of my console.
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| Murder On The Dance Floor [Bronze] 1000 Zombies sent dancing |
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To get zombies to dance, you need to use the Dance Gun. It looks kind of like
a megaphone/bullhorn. When you pick it up it will take the place of your
torch. Use it against zombies and they stop and start dancing to Thriller-
like music. When they do that, kill them. You need to kill 1,000 total to
get the trophy. The quickest way is with TNT. Note that if you attack but
donít kill a dancing zombie, or set them on fire, some will stop dancing and
come after you. The kills are cumulative across different games and only
count if you kill the zombie while itís dancing.
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| Dynami-Te-He [Bronze] 1000 Zombies blown up |
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For this trophy you need to kill zombies using an explosion of some sort.
There are three ways to create an explosion: placing TNT, shooting a propane
tank or shooting an exploding zombie (the ones with the flashing light on
their heads). Any zombie you kill with these three methods counts towards the
1,000 total. The kills are cumulative across different games.
Note that you have to shoot the propane tanks or exploding zombies yourself
for those kills to count toward the total. If those explosives are triggered
by something else (a burning zombie, for example), it will not count. You
will easily tell when this is the case because you wonít get any points for
the slain zombies.
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| Texas Style [Bronze] 100 Chainsaw Combos |
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You complete a combo by killing a certain amount of zombies in a row with the
same weapon. Youíll have a combo meter in the upper left with the icon for
whatever weapon youíre using. Fill it entirely to complete a combo. You need
to do that 100 times with the chainsaw, and they are cumulative across
different games. So grab the chainsaw and starting killing and keep killing.
If you use the techniques in the high scores guide youíll get this one in no
time.
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| Brain Surgery [Bronze] 100 Brains sucked |
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To suck a brain you need to use the Brain Gun. It will look like a gun with a
fish bowl on top of it. With this weapon you can suck out a zombieís brain
(killing it in the process) and drop it in the level. Zombies will be
distracted and cluster around it. You need to do that 100 times. The total
is cumulative across different games. This can be done on the normal levels,
but there is a challenge called "Zombie Bait" which features the Brain Gun.
You can quickly get this trophy doing that challenge three or four times if
you just grind out the brains and not bother with your score.
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| Extinction [Bronze] 100,000 Zombies Killed |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
You will have noticed by now that each time you complete a level, a running
total of the number of zombies you have killed on your save file is
displayed. Obviously you need to kill 100,000 zombies cumulative to get this
trophy.
It will take you longer than you think to get this trophy. I estimate about
15-20 hours. I didnít get it until after I had all silver medals and close to
half of the gold medals.
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| Tourist [Bronze] All Arcade levels unlocked |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Get a Bronze medal in each game mode (Free Play, Timed, Defense) for the
following Arcade levels:
- Woods
- Graveyard
- Suburbia
- Drive-In
- Army Base
The levels are unlocked sequentially in the above order for each mode. I.e.
getting a Bronze medal in Woods / Arcade only unlocks Graveyard / Arcade and
not any other Graveyard mode. Please see the "Mode Scores / Rankings" section
for the complete medal scores for each Arcade mode, and the "Basic
Tactics," "Individual Levels," "Arcade Modes" and "Challenges" sections for
high score strategies.
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| Friend of Bruce [Silver] All levels unlocked |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
For this trophy you need to meet all the requirements for the "Tourist"
trophy, as well as get a Bronze medal in each of the following Challenge
levels:
- My Exploding Zombie Head
- Zombie Zapper
- Zombie Bait
- Zombies Ate My Teddy
- Caution: Minefield
- Zombie Express
- Midnight Boomstick
- Too Many Zombies, Not Enough Time
- All Fired Up
The levels are unlocked sequentially in the above order. Please see the "Mode
Scores / Rankings" section for the complete medal scores for each Arcade mode,
and the "Basic Tactics," "Individual Levels," "Arcade Modes" and "Challenges"
sections for high score strategies.
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| d6 Commends You [Bronze] All Bronze medals |
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To get this trophy you need to meet all the requirements of the "Tourist"
and "Friend of Bruce" trophies, as well as get a Bronze medal in the following
levels:
- Arcade: Secret Lab (Free Play, Timed and Defense)
- Challenge: Lawn of the Dead
Please see the "Mode Scores / Rankings" section for the complete medal scores
for each Arcade mode, and the "Basic Tactics," "Individual Levels," "Arcade
Modes" and "Challenges" sections for high score strategies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
| d6 Respects You [Bronze] All Silver medals |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
To get this trophy you need to get a Silver medal in every level/mode in the
game. Please see the "Mode Scores / Rankings" section for the complete medal
scores for each Arcade mode, and the "Basic Tactics," "Individual
Levels," "Arcade Modes" and "Challenges" sections for high score strategies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
| d6 Admires You [Bronze] All Gold medals |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
To get this trophy you need to get a Gold medal in every level/mode in the
game. Please see the "Mode Scores / Rankings" section for the complete medal
scores for each Arcade mode, and the "Basic Tactics," "Individual
Levels," "Arcade Modes" and "Challenges" sections for high score strategies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
| Friend of d6 [Gold] All Developer medals |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
To get this trophy you need to get a Developer medal in every level/mode in
the game. Please see the "Mode Scores / Rankings" section for the complete
medal scores for each Arcade mode, and the "Basic Tactics," "Individual
Levels," "Arcade Modes" and "Challenges" sections for high score strategies.
This is obviously the hardest trophy in the game, and probably one of the
hardest PS3 trophies in existence. To my knowledge, only 8 people have
acquired this trophy. Here is the known "Friend of d6" list:
1. ER777 2009-05-22 00:27:50
2. sb59 2009-06-17 18:32:43
3. tinc62 2009-08-04 14:28:11
4. The_LoneWolf 2009-12-08 16:54:06
5. Thorvan 2010-02-11 10:05:41
6. MrChapel 2010-04-02 22:19:40
7. Vyrastas 2010-04-23 01:11:01
8. Dreadnought190 2010-04-24 05:38:11
Source: http://ps3trophyguide.com/t/view/382/14
If you have acquired this trophy and want to be added to the list, register
for a card on ps3trophycard.com to be automatically added to the list, or send
me a friend request on PSN (ID = Vyrastas) so I can verify your account.
tinc62 even recorded the moment he received "Friend of d6":
--------------------------------------------
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e54wJEqrV4 |
--------------------------------------------
IN SPACE DLC Trophies
================================
Explanations will be added in future guide versions (I don't have the DLC yet!)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
| BZB: In Space - No Time To Bleed [Bronze] |
| Get 100 Gatling Gun combos on the Engine Room |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
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| BZB: In Space - Transporter Accident [Bronze] |
| Transport 1000 Zombies off the Mothership Bridge |
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| BZB: In Space - Top Ten [Silver] |
| Beat ten of your friends in any leaderboard on either the Engine |
| Room or Mothership Bridge. |
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| BZB: In Space - Extreme Survivor [Silver] |
| Survive 5 minutes with one life in Survival mode on Extreme |
| difficulty on either Engine Room or Mothership Bridge. |
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ZOMBIE SUSHI DLC Trophies
================================
Explanations will be added in future guide versions (I don't have the DLC yet!)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
| BZB: Zombie Sushi - This Is My Boomstick [Bronze] |
| 100 Shotgun combos on either the Shrine or Castle |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
| BZB: Zombie Sushi - 1.21 Jigawatts [Bronze] |
| Electrify 1000 Zombies on the Shrine |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
| BZB: Zombie Sushi - Top Ten [Silver] |
| Beat ten of your friends in any leaderboard on either the Shrine |
| or Castle |
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| BZB: In Space - Extreme Survivor [Silver] |
| Survive for 5 minutes with one life in Survival mode on Extreme |
| difficulty on either the Shrine or Castle. |
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=============================================================================
XII. C O N C L U S I O N [CON] |
=============================================================================
Thanks for reading this guide. I really hope you find it useful and I had a
lot of fun writing it.
Also thanks to doublesix for creating such an addictive and curse-inducing
game. :)
Please direct all questions, corrections or suggestions to
[email protected] If you have additional strategies that you would like to
contribute, please don't hesitate to contact me.
- Vyrastas